


The Earls of Asherton

by Duchess_of_Strumpetness



Category: Inspector Lynley - All Media Types, Inspector Lynley Mysteries (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Child Death, Christmas Party, Consequences, Drug Addiction, Engagement, F/M, First Time, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lust, Murder, Mutilation, Prostitution, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unrequited Love, Wedding Planning, thoughts of abortion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:47:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 107,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24176896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duchess_of_Strumpetness/pseuds/Duchess_of_Strumpetness
Summary: Barbara and Tommy attend the Met annual Christmas party and their unrequited passion for each other finally breaks free, it sets them on an unexpected path that forces them to face their feelings for each other.**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*This story is a combination of the wonderful TV series (my Tommy Lynley will always be the adorable Nathaniel Parker) and the wonderful novels by Elizabeth George so some characters will show up that are not in the show**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*This is totally unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.Critique more than welcome, flamers will be used to roast marshmallows.Remember reviews are love <3
Relationships: Barbara Havers/Thomas Lynley
Comments: 330
Kudos: 101





	1. The Met Christmas party

**Author's Note:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667520226/in/dateposted-public/)

Barbara could not prevent her low moan as Tommy sucked on a sensitive area of her neck. He’d tugged the side of her dress to one side and was ravishing her neck as he pressed kisses into the skin. The December wind was bitterly cold, but she hardly felt it, crushed between a stone wall and the warm, living body of her partner.

“I need you,” he had moaned, pressing his body closer, letting her feel how much he wanted her, wanted to claim her. Wordlessly she had tugged his face back to hers and whispered “Yes,”

They made it a few feet down the street, Barbara wasn’t sure how, as they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Years of pent up sexual tension finally given free rein. The sight of Tommy bloody Lynley in his posh evening clothes had been her undoing, and she had tried to drown her unrequited love in far too many potent Christmas cocktails. It hadn’t worked and now she was being kissed within an inch of her life. _But what a way to go_ , her naughty inner vixen had whispered in her ear. 

Tommy dragged her into a small, dark park and effortlessly lifted her, so she was sitting on a low stone wall. It put them at the perfect height for each other. Him being half a foot taller than her made kissing a bit of a pain in the neck, but nothing they could not workaround. 

“You are never,” he punctuated his scolding with searing kisses “to wear a dress,” he pulled his mouth from hers “to the office again” Barbara hid her smirk in his chest.

“We’re not in the office… Sir!” Barbara replied cheekily and then gasped as he slid his icy hands up under her dress and ripped her underwear off and slipped the ruined clothing into his pocket. She had always known how to push Tommy’s buttons, but this sexual tension would be her undoing.

He had wedged himself between her thighs so Barbara could not have evaded his seeking fingers, even if she had wanted to but she gasped at their first brush. At his quizzical expression, just visible in the moonlight, she hurried to reassure him.

“Your fingers are cold, Sir,” lust and alcohol had impaired Barbara’s normal common sense or else she would have been more cautious about that look of wicked mischief on Tommy’s face.

“You’ll just have to warm them up for me then,” he whispered in her ear before sliding his icy fingers into her warmth to her startled gasp, which soon turned to a lustful moan as he thrust them into her. 

“Oh fuck,” she moaned, burying her face into his chest, as his talented fingers brought her closer and closer to losing control.

“Language Detective Sergeant!” Tommy cheekily scolded as he swiped his thumb over the small bundle of nerves that had her gasping and her hips jerking in response. 

“Please!” Barbara couldn’t prevent her needy moan; she was so close to losing control. “I need you, Sir. Please” he leaned down and kissed her again, deepening it with every swipe of his fingers. Pulling her mouth from his, Barbara gasped for breath. “So close,” she gasped.

“You’ve got me, Barbara,” Tommy replied, fumbling with his belt and trousers, which hit the ground with the clatter of his belt buckle. Tugging her closer, Tommy once again claimed her mouth as he removed his fingers and pushed his hardness into her warmth to both of their gasps of pleasure.

“Oh god!” she gasped as Tommy thrust into her, easily picking up the pace. He was far bigger than any other lover Barbara had in the past. This wasn’t sweet lovemaking, it was pure fucking, and they both surrendered to it willingly.

“Barbara, oh hell,” Tommy groaned into her neck, “I’m so close,” he admitted, buffeting her body with his, driving them both closer to the edge. 

“Yes, oh hell yes,” she gasped, gripping him tightly as she fell over the edge, her orgasm ripping through her body, leaving her gasping for breath as if she’d been chasing after criminals. Tommy wasn’t doing any better as he reached his release, holding her close.

“Mercy!” she muttered, still clinging to him, both of them trying to get their breath back.

“Tommy,” he purred in her ear, to her confused look. “My name, it’s Tommy,” he nuzzled her neck “and I want to hear you screaming it again, soon.”

“You’d best get me somewhere warm, and vertical then, hadn’t you, Tommy,” she purred in his ear to his shudder. Carefully he withdrew from her warmth, dragged his trousers and briefs back into place and helped her stand on wobbly legs.

“It would be my pleasure,” he kissed her again, and wrapping one arm around her shoulder, led Barbara to the main street and flagged down a taxi, and giving the driver his address before pulling Barbara close to him again.

Tommy’s head was spinning, and he wasn’t sure it was solely because of the large amounts of scotch he’d been drinking all night, probably far more than was strictly good for him, and the hangover he was certain was waiting for him in the morning or the captivating woman in his arms.

Looking down at the top of her head where she was tucked under his chin, Tommy knew it was the beautiful woman he’d just make love to for the first time. He would admit if only to himself. While it had lacked a certain finesse, it lacked none of the passion. 

All too soon the taxi was pulling up in front of his townhouse. He tossed the driver twenty pounds and helped Barbara out to her shiver and slightly drunken giggles. “Ave a good night gov” the cabbie called out the window, watching the drunken couple stagger to the front door.

Tommy wasn’t sure how he got his keys into the lock with Barbara’s lips attached to his and her hands doing an amazing job of patting him down, to his frustration. Her giggles signified she knew exactly the effect she was having on him as she boldly cupped his straining erection through his tuxedo trousers and squeezed. 

“Witch,” he had growled playfully as he finally got the door open, bustling them into the warmth of his townhouse and pinning her against the door again, effortlessly lifting her and devouring her mouth once more. 

Tommy tasted of whisky and coffee, the faint hint of the cigarettes he’d nicked from Hillier. He smelt of some outrageously expensive men’s cologne, outdoorsy and fresh and the unmistakable musk of arousal. If his kissing wasn’t enough to turn a girl’s head, the way he smelt was.

Somehow staggering upstairs with a giggling woman in his arms, who was whispering filth in his ear, Tommy dropped her onto his bed and quickly pinned her down to her total agreement.

“You’re wearing too many of your posh togs,” Barbara grouched, “get naked Sir, now!” Barbara tried to add her normal snap to the last word, but it came out as a drunken giggle. _Too much champagne and fancy cocktails_ , she thought until all rational thought deserted her as Tommy, for once, did as he was instructed and got naked.

He kicked off his shoes and socks and staggered unsteadily to his feet and tossed his jacket in the general direction of a chair. Neither noticed when it slid to the floor. Bow tie and silk shirt soon followed, Barbara could not tear her eyes off the tall, good looking man slowly stripping before her.

Memories of Tommy clad in only a skimpy towel, droplets of water glistening on his skin as they shared a tiny caravan flashed across Barbara’s memory. Lust had curled in her stomach at the sight, and she’d hidden it until later that night when she’d effortlessly brought herself to orgasm, his name on her lips.

His belt hit the carpet with a thud and his trousers and briefs soon followed, leaving Tommy Lynley standing there in all his naked, aroused glory and Barbara was lost. She would never admit it out loud, but she’d loved this man for years.

“Now who is wearing too many clothes?” Tommy complained, grabbing Barbara’s foot and slowing unzipping her boots, tossing them across the room before rolling her over and unzipping her dress and unhooking her bra. It wasn’t elegant, but all Tommy cared about was getting her naked and under him as fast as possible.

Even though he was slightly blurry, Barbara welcomed him with open arms, tugging him on top of her, enjoying his weight as he settled between her thighs, kissing her again, toe-curling kisses that had her moaning.

“You mentioned something about moaning your name?” at Tommy’s quizzical expression, Barbara continued “You’d best get on with it then, hadn’t you, Sir?” the Sir delivered on a breathy moan as Tommy did as instructed and slid into her warmth again.

“Better?” he asked, not bothering to hide his wicked grin. Reaching up, she brushed an errant lock of hair from his eyes. It didn’t stay back, giving him a rather rakish air.

“Hmmmm much,” she moaned as he thrust into her, her hands wrapped around his biceps, feeling them flex under her fingers, throwing her head back, Tommy attached his lips to the smooth expense and nipped his way up to her ear. 

“Scream my name,” he ordered, his voice scratchy with lust.

“Sir?” Barbara replied cheekily to his scowl and her giggle.

“Try again!” he demanded, deepening his thrusts to her gasp and moan.

“Tom… my” she gasped, “I’m so close, please?” she begged, her body strung tight, her orgasm just out of reach. Fucking her hard, Tommy slipped his hand between their bodies and rubbed his thumb over the bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs and Barbara’s body exploded, gasping as the pleasure flooded her body. “Your turn!” she whispered in his ear, lightly nipping his earlobe.

“Yes!” he moaned, emptying himself into her and collapsing in a sweaty heap on the beautiful woman beneath him. Gasping for breath as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close. Lazily, he nuzzled her cheek. “Stay with me, please?” he asked. 

Rolling off her, Tommy pulled up the covers and snuggled under them, the woman he loved in his arms. _Tell her you love her, you fool_ , he thought before he nodded off to sleep.

Dawn was just starting to brighten the sky outside the tall windows, Tommy slid inside Barbara again to her sleepy approval, their lovemaking far slower and gentler than earlier. 

Picking up her boots, Barbara stood for a few moments watching the dark-haired man sleep. It was a line she had sworn she’d never cross, sleeping with Tommy Lynley, but she couldn’t regret a minute. _If he makes love like that when he’s drunk, what would he be like sober?_ She could not help thinking as she carefully let herself out of his townhouse and caught a taxi home.

Tommy woke to a bright sunny room with a full bladder, the hangover from hell and an empty bed. Cursing, he took care of the first and two painkillers for the second. 

A flashing light on his phone showed he had a message, opening his phone Tommy smiled, it was from Barbara “ _Home safe, talk soon… Sir!_ ”

Smiling, Tommy crawled back into bed. After flicking the heavy curtains closed, he intended to sleep off his hangover.


	2. Barbara gets some unexpected news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara visits her doctor and receives some very unexpected news that throws her world into turmoil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667600317/in/dateposted-public/)

“I’m _what_!” Barbara stared at her doctor in shock. She had been feeling under the weather the last few weeks to the point that even Lynley had noticed and had ordered her to go and see her doctor. Barbara had tried to put it off, which had resulted in the damn man ringing the surgery himself and making her an appointment, charming the receptionist into giving her the last one on Friday evening. _Smug bastard_ , she had thought at the time to his smirk.

“Pregnant,” her doctor replied with a mischievous grin “I take it that was not the news you were expecting?”

“How!” Barbara stammered, panic starting to engulf her. The doctor leaned over and took Barbara’s hand in hers, gently squeezing it. Normally she would have lightly teased her patient for having asked a question like that, however she could see the panicked look on Barbara’s face. 

“When was your last period?” Barbara shook her head.

“They are not regular,” she admitted “but I know exactly when it happened, damn bloody Christmas party,” she swore annoyed with herself for giving in to him.

“What date was that?” her doctor asked, slipping back into professional mode.

“Thirteenth of December, it was the Met Christmas party, some posh place in Kensington,” Barbara admitted, slumping back in the chair, her mind buzzing with the news, so she missed most of what her doctor was telling her.

“Sorry what?” she asked, pulled from her wanderings.

“If you decide not to go ahead with it, we will need to book you in soon as you are six weeks along,” Barbara nodded in understanding and stood, shrugging into her coat and taking the pile of information her doctor handed her. “Make an appointment to see me in two weeks,” Barbara nodded, made an appointment with the receptionist and drove herself home.

It was dark by the time Barbara let herself into her flat. Throwing her coat and scarf over the back of the lounge, she dropped her bag on the seat and walked through to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. More than anything she would have liked something stronger, however, that was now off-limits right now. No alcohol for eight months was the least of her problems. 

“Fuck!” she swore with feeling as she poured water on the teabag and absent-mindedly stirred sugar into her tea. Taking her tea through to the living room, Barbara put the mug on the coffee table and dropped onto her lounge, her mind going a million miles an hour from the bombshell her doctor just dropped on her.

She knew Tommy was not solely to blame for the predicament she now found herself in. If she had said no at any time, he would have immediately stopped. His very proper English gentlemen upbringing and his long tenure as a policeman would have demanded it. She did not doubt that for a second. However, Barbara had not wanted him to stop, not ever. She had relived that night in her head over and over again ever since. It had been wonderful, something she could never forget.

Barbara switched on the electric fire in the fireplace and watched the flames, her mind racing as she sipped the tea. She could kiss any future promotions goodbye, there was no way she would be able to put in the hours necessary to keep up their closure rate, the highest in the Met. For that matter, active-duty would also be out of bounds too, so she would be on desk duty for the foreseeable future. Like any of her colleagues, paperwork was the bane of Barbara’s life, desk duty would be nothing but dotting “i”s and crossing “t”s in triplicate.

 _If you go through with it?_ Her conscious reminded her. If the child had been anyone else’s then maybe Barbara would have seriously considered a termination. It would have made her life much easier. However, there was no doubt it was Tommy’s baby, and she knew that she could not do it, not to his child. Tugging up her jumper, Barbara stared down at her still flat stomach. She still could not quite believe that at thirty-six years old she was having a baby _with the man you love_. Her damn conscious just had to remind her, but she stamped that thought down savagely. It was better not to go there.

Staring around her small flat Barbara knew she would have to get rid of the clutter to make more space and clean-up, she admitted with a grimace. Housework was her least favourite job, mostly she did the bare minimum and left a bag of washing at the local laundromat each week. “And learn to cook at least the basics,” she told the empty room.

Climbing to her feet, she walked down the short hallway and pushed open the spare bedroom door. There was a good reason that Tommy slept on the lounge whenever he stayed over, even if he was a good foot too tall for it. Her spare room was full of junk. A push-bike she had ridden maybe twice, a stack of packing boxes from when she’d moved in four years ago. A bookshelf crammed full of novels, half she’d never even read as she just did not have time. An overflowing basket of clothes to be taken to the op-shop. All of it would have to go, to make room for a cot and change table and whatever else a baby needed.

Which sent Barbara’s thoughts in a whole other direction. Finances! “Damn,” she muttered as she tried to remember the balance on her savings account. While it was fairly healthy, how far would it go with no money coming in? Grabbing her handbag and digging out a notebook, she made a note to check if the Met had a maternity leave program of some sort, then she would have to find some sort of childcare, which would mean no overtime, which meant desk duty. She knew from long experience that officers in the field rarely finished on time. 

“Damn it!” she swore, throwing the notebook across the room. “I cannot deal with this tonight,” Barbara tipped the dregs of her now cold tea down the sink and headed to bed, but sleep would not come and at two o’clock in the morning she was still tossing and turning, coming up with one problem after another.

Her brain kept coming back to one unavoidable fact. She was going to have to tell Tommy, and she was not looking forward to that conversation. Would he be pleased or furious? Would he even want her to have it? Would he support her or let her go it alone? Would he try to take it off her? Eventually, Barbara drifted off to sleep.

Thankfully it was their rare weekend off so with any luck she would not have to face Tommy until Monday. She had a message from him on her mobile when she had woken to ask if the doctor’s appointment had gone well, she’d simply replied with “Yes I’m fine” and turned the phone to silent, she would never actually turn it off in case they were called into work. 

Barbara spent Saturday cleaning her flat, took a load of washing to the Laundromat, did some grocery shopping. Nothing out of the ordinary but it seemed that everywhere she went Barbara ran across a pregnant woman. Feeling her anxiety on the rise, she headed home and locked herself in her flat.

Picking up the discarded pile of information, Barbara started to read. The termination sounded straight forward and while it would solve her problem, but in her heart, she knew she could not do that, not to Tommy’s child. 

At thirty-six Barbara knew this was her last chance to have a child, as unexpected and terrifying as it was. Her last date had been eight months ago, he had never contacted her to organise a second and her phone messages had gone unanswered. Barbara could not remember her last actual boyfriend. A few one-night stands when the loneliness became too much, but if she was honest to herself, none of them could hope to compare to Tommy Lynley. He was everything she had thought she despised and had become everything she loved.

Putting the sheet aside, Barbara picked up the next one. “Diet,” she muttered reading the title, “This should be interesting!” her sarcasm was lost on the empty room. As Tommy frequently told her, she survived on coffee, sarcasm and junk food. From the length of that list, both coffee and junk food were now off the menu. Grabbing a pen Barbara circled the few things on the list she would eat, it was not a very extensive list. Luckily she had given up smoking years ago after a bollocking from a superior after she lost a suspect as she had not been able to catch him so the no smoking was not a problem.

“Certain cleaning products,” she chuckled “no problems there” the rest of it was pretty straight forward and as for the heavy lifting she was sure she could bribe Winston and Lafferty to help her if she bought them a pub meal and a few beers. 

Sunday dawned cold and raining, so Barbara spent the day in front of the television binge-watching old movies and dozing on and off snuggled under an old blanket. It had been a long time since she had been so lazy, but she felt better for it. One of the pamphlets her doctor had given her had mentioned tiredness, so Barbara was happy to run with that one.

Tomorrow she had to face Tommy and for the first time in their long partnership, she was rather dreading it. She knew she had to tell him, but she had so many scenarios running through her head, she was unsure of what his reaction would be to her news but she was going ahead with it, with his help or not.


	3. Another new case and fond memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to roseandheather, I hope it prevents her rioting! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776848/in/dateposted-public/)

The hustle and noise of the offices of New Scotland Yard calmed Barbara’s nerves. It felt like her whole world had tilted on its axis since she had been here on Friday night, calling out goodnight to her colleagues as she headed to the doctor’s surgery, for her world to be turned upside down. 

Mutterings of “Morning” and “Havers” followed her as she wove her way through the offices to the far end where her desk sat, just outside of Tommy’s office. The door stood open, signifying he was not in yet. Hanging her coat on the coat stand and dropping her handbag in the bottom drawer, Barbara booted up her computer to see if the pathology reports she had requested on Friday morning had arrived yet. 

Thankfully, they had arrived, so armed with a cup of tea, Barbara sat down to read over them. There was nothing unexpected. The gun matched the gunshot wound perfectly. The wife had murdered her husband in a fit of rage as he had told her he did not want children, yet he had a whole other family on the other side of the country, and his second wife was pregnant yet again. Retribution had been swift and deadly.

Too busy reading, Barbara did not hear Lynley’s arrival until he stomped past her desk with a snapped “Havers, my office _now_ ” and loudly slammed the door behind him. 

“His Lordship is in a snit,” Winston commented to Barbara’s eye roll.

“Don’t let him catch you calling him that,” she lightly reprimanded her friend, “You know he hates it,” but Winston just shrugged, turning back to his work. 

Grabbing a notebook and pen, Barbara knocked on Lynley’s door to his bellowed “What?”.

“You wanted me?” Barbara asked, poking her head around the door to find Lynley standing out the window. Walking into his office, she took a few minutes to admire the view. They were her favourite jeans, pulled tight due to his hands jammed into the front pockets, the faded denim hugging his arse and thighs. His purple shirt was tucked into the jeans, and a thick black belt circled his waist. She would never admit it, but this was one of Barbara’s favourite looks on the tall, good-looking detective. 

Lynley turned and scowled at her, to her quizzical expression. Silently congratulating herself, they indeed were Barbara’s favourite jeans. She tried to hide her slight grin, remembering when he had ripped the jeans across the knee and his bitter complaints about it. “These jeans were five hundred pounds Havers!” he had loudly complained, glaring at the tear. He had scowled at her laughter when she had told him he should not wear such expensive clothes to work then. 

“Care to share the joke?” Tommy grumbled as he perched on the edge of his desk, long legs crossed at the ankles, noting the slight smile on his Detective Sergeant’s face. That look of gleeful mischief alerted Tommy that her humour was at his expense. He was not wrong.

“Just remembering your tantrum when you tore those jeans,” Barbara said, nodding to his knee. Lynley glared at the offending tear and shrugged. 

“They cost too much to throw out and I’m assured it’s the _in_ look right now!” his slight smile at the admission made Barbara’s heart clench. “I did not call you in here to discuss my wardrobe choices. We have a case,” he said, his earlier annoyance clear.

“Oh?” Barbara queried. A new case was not unusual, so she was curious as to his clear annoyance. “Nothing new there,”

“It’s in bloody Birmingham,” he informed her, scowling at the thought.

“Birmingham?” Barbara complained, glaring at Lynley “Why the hell are we going to Birmingham? They have their own force!” He shrugged.

“Their higher-ups talk to our higher-ups and we’re going to bloody Birmingham!” frustrated Tommy picked up a notebook from his desk and threw it across the room to Barbara’s peal of laughter as the papers that had been tucked inside it exploded everywhere. “Fuck!” he swore and shooed Barbara out of his office to his muttered expletives and her laughter, slamming the door behind her.

While not looking forward to a trip to Birmingham her mood had been lightened remembering the look on Lynley’s face when his office had been showered in the paper. She chuckled to herself and woke up her computer to find an email detailing their new case, such as it was.

The body of a badly beaten child had been found in a park three days ago, no identification and no one had come forward to claim her. A vague description of the child and her injuries, but that was it. Scant information to go on, not even any crime scene photos as yet.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Tommy scooped up the papers from the floor and slammed them back on his desk. While he was annoyed with himself, he could not get Barbara’s peal of laughter out of his head. It brightened her face and made those stunning green eyes of hers sparkle. He was more than happy to be the cause of her laughter if she looked at him like that again. 

When she had asked if he wanted her Tommy had to bite his tongue not to reply “Always”, but now was not the time nor the place to continue whatever had happened after the Christmas party and Tommy would happily admit he was looking forward to a repeat performance. Well, of the lovemaking at least, not the hangover that had knocked him out until Saturday afternoon. _You are not as young as you used to be, Tommy boy_ , he reluctantly admitted to himself. At twenty he had been able to party all night and then be up for an early morning Rugby match on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, his Oxford days were twenty years in the past.

Dropping down into his leather office chair, he swung it around and propped his feet up on the wide window ledge. Staring through the rain splatted glass Tommy let his mind wander as it had so often these last weeks, back to the night of the Christmas party and the night he had spent with Barbara. 

As with all great love stories, it had started with a kiss, although if Tommy was honest with himself, he had loved her long before that kiss. It had been late, well after midnight, and only a few of their colleagues had been at the party until the end. Barbara had been standing at the bar talking to Winston. Her tinkling laugh had filled the room. As if catching him watching her, she had smiled, that megawatt smile, the one she kept just for him and Tommy’s heart had exploded with happiness at that smile. 

Walking unsteadily over to the couple standing at the bar, Tommy had propped his elbows on the bar beside Barbara and leaned forward to talk to her and Winston, only to be aware of Winston’s shit-eating grin. 

“What?” Tommy had slurred. Winston had not said a word, just slowly pointed to the roof. Both Tommy and Barbara looked up to where a sprig of mistletoe hung from the timber bar. Tommy just looked at it stupidly until their remaining dozen or so, also drunk, colleagues started chanting, “kiss, kiss, kiss,”

Where Winston had disappeared to, Tommy had no idea. He only had eyes for his beautiful Sergeant. He could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Barbara in a dress over the years of their partnership and none matched the beautiful red dress she had worn that night. High-heeled boots brought her a little closer to his height, and the gold necklace he had given her for her birthday a few years ago caught the light.

Throwing caution to the wind, Tommy had pulled Barbara into his arms and she had gone willingly. What he had meant to be a quick peck to pacify their immature colleagues morphed into pure passion the moment Tommy’s lips touched hers.

He had pulled her into his arms and devoured her. It had been no chaste kiss, but their colleagues had approved by their catcalls, foot-stomping and whistles. They had only pulled apart when breathing had become an issue. Her cheeks had been flushed and her eyes sparkling.

Barbara had buried her head in Tommy’s chest, her shoulders shaking with her drunken giggles. The party had broken up soon after and they had somehow managed to stagger to that dark little park and make love for the first time in the cold. 

“The rest, as they say, is history,” he told the rain-splattered window, dragging his thoughts back to the present as he swung back around to face the mound of paperwork on his desk. While criminal activity had slowed down since Christmas, _It is too damn cold_ Tommy privately thought, the paperwork was never-ending.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Barbara knocked on Tommy’s door around four that afternoon and stuck her head around at his muffled command. She hid her smile at his unruly hair. He had been dragging his fingers through it.

“What time are you picking me up tomorrow?” she asked, putting a mug of tea down on his desk and taking a seat on the other side. 

“Picking _you_ up?” Tommy questioned, one eyebrow disappearing under his hair and a smirk dancing across his face.

“Yes, unless you would like to spend three hours in _my_ car?” Barbara asked sweetly, not even bothering to hide her amusement at his inelegant snort. Half the Met had turned out to watch Tommy Lynley try to unfold his six-foot-plus frame out of her mini. 

“No thank you,” he clearly remembered the same incident “How does six sound?” Tommy asked, sipping his tea.

“Six is fine, Sir. I’m heading home to pack. I’ll see you then,” waving good night, Barbara shrugged into her jacket and wrapped her scarf around her neck and slung her handbag strap over her shoulder. Waving her colleagues goodnight, Barbara headed to the underground car park and her car.

Barbara’s flat was dark and cold when she let herself in twenty minutes later. Switching on the heater to warm the place up, she unwrapped her scarf as she headed to her bedroom, thinking of what to pack. Birmingham would be cold this time of year and the Met was not known for its fancy accommodation, most likely the local pub she thought distastefully, cold and draughty with a shared bathroom. One benefit of being Lynley’s partner, however, was that if the accommodation the Met booked for them was not up to his standards, he had no hesitation in booking them into something more to his tastes.

Pulling out jeans and thick jumpers, Barbara added tops and toiletries to the pile as well as her thickest pyjamas and socks. Packing it all into her overnight bag, Barbara added her scarf, gloves and thick overcoat to the pile and set it in the sitting room to be collected in the morning and headed for a shower and bed. 


	4. Murder at Perry Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynley and Havers head to Birmingham for the case. Barbara's body tries to give away her secret and Tommy shows his caring side.  
> Note: I have no idea about child warfare I'm making all this up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776853/in/dateposted-public/)

Exactly at six the next morning there was a knock on Barbara’s door. Hurrying down the hall, she unlatched it to let Lynley in. It did not matter how often she told him to just honk the car’s horn, he always came to the door for her. 

“The telling off I would receive from my mother if I did not personally collect a Lady from her door would be memorable.” He had explained once when Barbara had asked him about it. She had laughed and told him she was no lady to which he had told her not to sell herself short and had taken her bag from her to carry it himself. 

“Come in,” she told him, walking back to the kitchen where the kettle had just clicked off. Pouring water into their travel mugs, she turned to see Lynley had picked up her bag, another habit of which she had been unable to break him and had slung her thick coat over his arm. She had told him she could carry her bag once. He had just given her one of those looks and carried it out to the car. She had to admit there was something to be said for his fancy upper-crust manners. Opening the car door for her, holding her seat before he sat, behaviour that she was unused to.

Tommy put Barbara’s bag and coat in the boot of his Bristol and leaned against the passenger door, waiting for his partner. The morning was cold and clear, but by the look of the sky, it was not going to stay that way. Hopefully, with the early morning start, they could avoid most of the heavy traffic. 

Pushing off the car, Tommy walked over to Barbara and took the two mugs from her as she locked up her flat. Together they walked over to the car and balancing the mugs on the roof as Tommy opened the door and waited until Barbara had belted herself in and handed her the mugs, waiting for the lorry to pass, he climbed into the car, buckled himself in and merged into traffic. 

“Anything in that lot?” he asked, nodding to the folder spread across Barbara’s lap. 

“Not a lot no,” she replied, sipping her tea and reading over the notes “Dead child found in a park three days ago. Female, around six years of age, multiple fractures and injuries consistent with a beating. The preliminary cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma to the side of the head. That is all we have so far,” frustrated, she flipped through the buff folder, “Not even any damn crime scene photos yet,”

They had been driving for nearly an hour and Lynley had turned the radio on to catch the news when Barbara’s stomach decided to start churning. _No, not now_ , she thought desperately, trying to calm it down, but it was not working.

“Pull over,” she gasped, “Now!” they had worked together long enough for Tommy not to waste time asking unnecessary questions when Barbara used that tone. He flipped on the blinker and pulled off to the side of the road. The car bumped over the grass and came to a halt.

The car had hardly stopped before Barbara was un-clicking her seatbelt and pushing open the door before staggering a few feet and throwing up everything she had eaten that morning. Gasping for breath and eyes watering, she was not aware of Tommy leaving the car to come to her assistance, holding her hair back and giving her his wet handkerchief to wash her face with.

“Sorry Sir,” Barbara stammered, feeling wretched and humiliated. She had been sick already once this morning so had thought her stomach would cooperate for the three-hour drive. It seemed her body was determined to betray her. Tommy curled his arm around her shoulders and gently led her back to the car and sitting her sideways on the passenger seat. 

“Are you alright?” he asked worriedly, crouched in the dirt at her feet he handed Barbara a bottle of water. She took a mouthful and washed out her mouth. Looking into his beautiful brown eyes, Barbara wanted to confess to him what had made her sick. However, they had to solve the murder of a child first. 

“I am fine Sir.” Barbara washed out her mouth again, “dodgy leftover Chinese last night,” she gave him a watery smile and hoped he bought her excuse. 

Carefully getting Barbara comfortable in the front seat again, Tommy buckled her in and grabbed a blanket from the back seat.

“Try to get some sleep for a few hours,” he carefully wrapped the blanket around her, tucking it in behind her shoulders. At Barbara’s soft chuckle, he looked up at her.

“What is so funny?” he asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. She managed to bring his protective instincts to the surface like no one else.

“Only you would have a cashmere blanket in the car,” he shrugged and gave her that lopsided grin she had come to love.

“Get some sleep, we have about two hours before we get to Birmingham.” He told her, starting the car and heading off again. 

Lynley glanced over at his partner as she slept in the passenger seat. She had some colour back in her face, but it was clear she had not been sleeping well from the dark smudges under her eyes. They were easy enough to recognise. He saw them each morning in his shaving mirror. While they had not had a new case for a few weeks, they had been kept busy with court appearances to wrap up the cases they had closed and the never-ending pile of paperwork. Unfortunately, their jobs were far more boring than what was portrayed on television. He and Havers often shared a pizza and laughed at the latest cop show on the box. “It does not work like that!” echoing around either his home or hers as they hurled popcorn at the screen. 

The rest of the drive was uneventful and Lynley got the chance to open up the Bristol and give it a good run and the remaining hours flew by. Occasionally he would glance across at Barbara, but she was sleeping peacefully. He had seen the inside of her fridge, so dodgy Chinese food was not that much of a stretch. He vowed to feed her more often. She often teased him about his posh tastes, however, she never turned down dinner at his expense. He had chuckled when she had specifically requested pasta from his favourite Italian restaurant, the one he had introduced her to.

Stopping just outside Birmingham, Lynley checked the map to get directions to where they were to meet the local coppers and heading into the city pulling up in front of the police station not long after. It was a drab brick building that looked cold and lonely in the winter sunshine. Flicking on the blinker, Lynley pulled into the underground car park and flashed their warrant cards. The security guard checked Lynley and Havers identification against his clipboard and let him pass. Lynley parked the car and spent a few minutes watching his partner sleep. 

“Barbara, we are here, wake up,” he lightly shook her until her beautiful green eyes opened and she blinked at him. “Hey,” Lynley was captivated by the sleepy look on her face. “Feeling better?” he asked, slipping the blanket from Barbara’s shoulders and tossing it into the backseat. 

“Yes much, thank you, Sir,” Barbara gave him a shy smile and raked her fingers through her hair to try to tame it. “We made good time, were you being a lead foot again?” Tommy grabbed his chest and gasped.

“You wound me, Sergeant!” but his grin made her heart do somersaults. “Come on, let’s see what they have for us,” climbing out of the car, Tommy stretched his cramped muscles and slid into his jacket. Patting his pocket to make sure he had his warrant card, Tommy headed towards the lifts. 

It always amazed Barbara how swiftly Tommy could go from laughing, joking colleague, to Detective Inspector Lynley to the Eighth Earl of Asherton. So long as it was not directed at her, Barbara was more than happy to sit back and watch.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

They were escorted to the Chief Constable’s office by a fresh-faced young constable who introduced himself as Alistair Peters. Lynley thought he did not look old enough to shave. He knocked on the door and stammered their introductions before being brushed aside as the man fawned over Lynley. 

Lynley’s first impression of Chief Constable Andre Moorhouse was not favourable. His white shirt was straining over his huge stomach, the button threatening to fly across the room. Brown stains decorated the front of it and dark patches stained the armpits. His handshake was unnecessarily crushing, and his palms were sweaty. 

“And who is this little Lady?” he had asked jovially to Lynley’s fury. He detested men like this, living in the dark ages who expected their wives to be the little lady at home and run a perfect house, probably with perfect children. 

“This is my Detective Sergeant, Barbara Havers,” Lynley replied with a snap to his voice which thankfully the man was not too stupid to catch. He extended his hand to Barbara as well.

“Of course, of course. Please sit” they took chairs on the other side of the desk. “Tea?” before they could say a word, he yelled. “Peters, Peters” the young constable stuck his head around the door.

“Yes Chief?” he asked nervously.

“Tea, for us all and bring us some of your mother’s biscuits,” the young man dashed away, eager to please. “So, you are here for the child murder case?” he clarified to their nods.

“What can you tell us?” Lynley asked just as young Peters brought in three mugs of tea on a tray with milk, sugar and a plate of biscuits. 

“Young girl found dumped in a park on Wednesday morning. She was shoved under one of the shrugs that border the park.” Moorhouse sipped his tea “Forensics has indicated she is around six years old.”

“Cause of death?” Lynley asked, sipping his tea. It was hot and strong and did wonders of waking him up. Moorhouse flipped through some pages of the report he was reading.

“Blunt force trauma to the side of her head,” he touched his temple to indicate where “She also had a broken arm and two broken ribs,” Barbara could not prevent her wince at the additional injuries, she knew how painful both were.

“No one has reported a six-year-old child missing?” she questioned, fishing her notebook out of her handbag and rummaging around for a pen. Moorhouse shook his head.

“We have alerts set up as soon as any report comes in matching her description but so far nothing,” he admitted “I have grandkids the same age,” a knock on the door interrupted anything else he was about to say. A tech waved a large envelope at them.

“Photos Chief, they ain’t pretty,” he handed it over and left. Moorhouse slit the envelope and tipped the photos out on his desk. His tech was not wrong, they were not pretty. The child had long blonde hair with pink bows in her pigtails. She wore denim overalls, a pink t-shirt, an inadequate winter coat and white sneakers. The ground she was lying on was white with snow. She looked as if she was sleeping, except for the clotted, dark red blood on one side of her head which mattered through her hair and stained the ribbons. 

The crime scene photos did not give a great deal away. The ground was too hard for footprints, and the snow was undisturbed. There were close-ups and photos of the park. She was not far from the children’s playground. Lynley shuddered at the thought of children finding the body. The next series of photos were of the progress of her autopsy. Naked the child looked younger than six years of age. She was underweight, her ribs visible and bruises in various stages of healing dotted her small body. 

Lynley handed Havers the forensics report while he studied the photos. He knew she would pull out the relevant information. She was far better at reading those things than he was. 

“At least there are no signs of sexual assault,” she told the men “A long list of previous injuries though, the first at six months of age, a broken arm. Since then, a dozen or so visits to the A&E.” Havers recited the list. It was far too long for a child. Lynley was quiet, sitting there with hands clasped over his stomach, staring at the ceiling. 

Moorhouse went to butt in, but Havers put up her hand to stall him. She knew that look too well, Lynley’s mind was whirling. Moorhouse gave her a furious glare. He was about to speak when Lynley interrupted him. 

“Where are you Social Services located?” Lynley demanded, staring at the man.

“What?” he flustered. It was clear he knew he was losing control of this case.

“Social Services, where is it?” Lynley demanded again, getting to his feet. 

“Upstairs, level eight” he yelled after them as Lynley and Havers headed back to the lifts.

“What are you thinking Sir?” Havers asked as he jabbed his finger against the button for their floor.

“Those injuries Havers, there are years of abuse directed at that child. From six months of age. She may not be listed as a missing person as yet, but I will bet you the Bristol that she has a file a mile thick and someone must recognise her,” he waved the picture he had taken with them. 

“Betting the Bristol!” Havers grinned “You must be sure, that car is your pride and joy,” before he could reply the doors slid open. Giving her one of his cheeky grins, Lynley strode to the reception desk and turned on the charm. The young girl behind the desk did not stand a chance. Within a few minutes they were being led to a meeting room and offered tea or coffee, both declined. A few minutes later a flustered woman joined them, a stack of files under her arm.

“I am Caroline McGill, Becca said it was Scotland Yard?” she asked, dropping the files onto the low table and taking a seat “How can I help you?” Lynley slid the photo across the table.

“Do you know this girl?” Lynley asked, “She has turned up dead in a local park. She had significant injuries, going back from when she was six months old. I would assume with a history of abuse that length, she would have come to the attention of Social Services?” picking up the photo, Caroline studied it.

“It could be one of half a dozen children, come with me,” she scooped up the files and without waiting to see if they followed, she headed into the sea of desks, heading for the offices on the other side. By the time Lynley and Havers entered the office, she had booted up her computer and was running a search. Scribbling down five names, she pulled open filing drawers and pulled out corresponding files. They were three or four inches thick. 

“These are the closest matches we have, my guess that it is Katelyn Forde. She is six years old and was reported to Social Services at five months of age when she was taken to the local A&E with a broken arm. Where most children would be screaming in pain, she was lethargic and unresponsive.” Caroline did not even have to read from the file as she passed it across.

Lynley scooted his chair closer so he and Havers could read from the same file. He tried his best to ignore the fact that they were now pressed together from hip to knee. He was soon absorbed in the file. It made for distressing reading. He and Havers were both long term police officers, but no one could be unmoved by the contents of this file.

“Why was she not removed from her mother?” Lynley demanded, trying to keep his anger in check.

“We have removed her on numerous occasions as you can see. Unfortunately, the courts feel the best place for a child is with its parents, particularly the mother. We have fought the decision in the past, and this matter is before the courts at the moment.” Caroline told them, flipping to a different section of the file to find the court documents. “The mother smartens her act up and promises she will do better, and does for a few months, unfortunately, it never lasts.” The frustration in Caroline’s voice was evident. 

“She has a brother!” Havers interrupted as she read through the file.

“Yes, Adam. He is two” Caroline pulled open a drawer and after flipping through a few folders, tugged out a smaller file and handed it to Lynley who quickly scanned the file. It was not as large as his sisters and no hospital visits yet. Lynley had no doubt that would change. “Both children are subject to weekly visits,” she checked something on her computer “The next one is due tomorrow.”

“Tell us about the mother,” Lynley asked, tapping the file. “We need to know everything about her,” someone brought in tea for them all and left, closing the door behind her.

“Saarrah Forde,” Caroline said, pity colouring her voice. “Twenty-two years old, the product of a broken home. She is sadly following in her mother’s footsteps. She was sixteen when she had Kaitlynn and nineteen when she had Adam. She first came to our attention at about two.” 

“What happened?” Lynley asked, noting that Caroline did not have to refer to her notes. 

“She comes from a family with a long history of drug and alcohol abuse. Domestic violence charges and prison sentences. Unfortunately, the abuse is just passed on from one generation to another,” 

“Does she know when the visits are scheduled to take place?” Havers asked, closing the file and putting it back on Caroline’s desk.

“No, they are a surprise visit, between every three to thirteen days, morning or night. Do you want to come with me tomorrow?” Caroline put the files back where they belonged and locked the filing cabinet.

“That is not a bad idea Sir, we can look into her disappearance without alerting her to the fact.” The idea had merit, Lynley had no doubt she was accustomed to police officers showing up at her doorstep unannounced. After setting a time to meet Caroline tomorrow, Lynley and Havers set off back downstairs. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Constable Peters was behind the desk when they stepped out of the lift on level five. He smiled when he saw them. “We have an office for you, it is a little cramped, but the whiteboard is just outside,” he led them through the office to the farthermost corner and opened a door to an office with two desks with a computer on each, a tall filing cabinet with a plant and two chairs. “It is not much sorry,” he apologised but Lynley assured him it was fine. He enquired after Moorhouse to be told he had gone home for lunch.

“He has done what?” Lynley could not keep the shock from his voice. 

“Gone home for lunch,” Peters replied, not picking up on the shock in Lynley’s voice “the Chief goes home for a home-cooked lunch every day,” 

“Can you suggest somewhere for lunch Peters?” Havers asked, hoping to prevent Lynley’s explosion. 

“Oh yes, the local pub does a great hot lunch and if you show your card they will give you a discount,” Peters told them, scribbling down the address on a piece of scrap paper. “It is only about a five-minute walk,” taking the note, Havers read over it and nodded her thanks. 

By the time they had found the pub and an empty booth, Barbara was famished. One of the girls slid menus onto the table and in a bored voice recited off the daily specials and popping her gum, turned on her heel and left them.

“I will get this,” Lynley said after he had decided on the fish and chips, while Havers settled on the bangers and mash. Lynley picked up the menus and sliding out of the booth “do you want a beer?” he asked, which was Havers normal, but she stopped him.

“Just lemonade for me thanks,” thankfully Lynley did not question her, but he did look puzzled. He was soon back, putting a table number and cutlery on the table and handing over her lemonade. 

“What’s wrong Havers?” Lynley took a sip of his beer and put the glass on the table. She was systematically shredding her paper napkin. Lynley placed his hand over hers to stop the destruction. “What is it?”

“Sorry Sir,” she slipped her lemonade, “It is the child ones, they are the worst. How could someone not even know their child is missing?” Havers begged for an explanation. Unfortunately, Lynley didn’t have one to give her. 

“I have no idea,” he shook his head “I know we see the worst of people every day, but these…” Tommy shook his head, unable to continue. Lunch was a sober affair, both deep in their thoughts. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon going through facts and gathering information. Just before five Constable Peters knocked on their door. Lynley was impressed by the young man. He had only been on the job a few months, but he was eager and willing to be of assistance and had kept them fuelled with tea and his mother’s baking.

“I’m heading off Inspector, I just wanted to give you directions to the hotel we have booked for you,” he handed over a note with the address written on “It is only about a ten-minute drive.” Lynley read the address and handed the note to Havers. 

“Thank you for your help today,” the young man flushed under the praise “We will see you tomorrow.” With that, he left them alone. Lynley’s stomach decided to make it clear that dinner was overdue to Havers laugh. 

“Come on, this can all wait until tomorrow, let’s get out of here,” they rugged up against the cold and set out for the hotel.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

It was an old Manor house with a sign indicating parking was at the rear. Lynley found a spot near the house and parked. He gave Barbara their coats to carry as he slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder, picked up her bag and locked the car.

Barbara had long given up telling Tommy she could carry her bag. She rang the small bell on the reception desk as they waited. A plump older lady took their details and directed them to their rooms on the top floor. Naturally, there wasn’t a lift.

Tommy’s room was at the top of the stairs. Barbara opened the door and stood aside as Tommy dropped his bag on the bed and opened the curtains. Not that he could see outside at the moment. The room was decorated in brown and blue. Barbara’s room was just down the corridor, the mirror opposite to Tommy’s but decorated in beige and red with an en-suite bathroom.

Dinner was over, they were informed, but the kitchen could send up some reheated leftovers, tonight’s special was cottage pie. Both said that would be much appreciated. Barbara went to unpack her bag when a knock on the door revealed Tommy holding a tray with their dinner. Putting the tray on a small table, they tucked in, discussing the case. 

By eight Barbara could not stop yawning. Giving her one of those irresistible smiles, Tommy collected their dinner dishes and told her to get some sleep. He would meet her downstairs in the morning for breakfast.


	5. Lynley and Havers meet Saarrah Forde for the first time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynley and Havers meet Saarrah Forde for the first time and it does not go well and Lynley takes some drastic action so they can interview her at the station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667600292/in/dateposted-public/)

Barbara had already been sick twice this morning, but she needed to try to eat something so she had ordered tea and toast and hoped it would stay down. She had slept well, the bed surprisingly comfortable, but her stomach had woken her around six and she had dashed to the bathroom. Feeling wretched, Barbara had decided a hot shower was in order. After showering and washing her hair, she had to hurry to the loo again. 

“Who would want to do this more than once?” she asked the empty room, feeling wretched as she washed out her mouth and cleaned her teeth. “I’ve not got anything else to bring up,” she bitterly complained to her reflection. Her stomach seemed to have settled and now was rumbling for food. “Bloody thing,” she muttered just as there was a knock on her door. 

Barbara answered the knock to find a young girl standing there with her breakfast tray. Muttering her thanks, Barbara took the tray from her and put it on the small table. Walking back to shut the door, Barbara saw the girl was waiting at Lynley’s door with his tray. He opened it and smiled his thanks. He was still in plaid flannel pants and a long-sleeved grey tee-shirt, his feet were bare, and his hair tousled, Barbara’s breath caught, not even dressed for the day and Tommy Lynley could still make her heart flutter. Carefully shutting the door, Barbara leaned against it, willing her stomach to settle.

She was tying her bootlaces when there was a knock on the door. Hobbling over with one shoe on, she pulled it open to find Lynley standing there, dressed for the day. Same as her, he had gone with a casual look today. He was dressed in jeans and a thick grey jumper with his thick black jacket tossed on over the top and brown hiking boots. 

“Slumming it today, are you Sir?” Barbara asked as she laced up her boots to his chuckle. 

“Somehow I doubt our Ms Forde is going to appreciate a suit and tie Havers, besides that it is too damn cold out without the additional layers.” Crossing to the window, Lynley opened her curtains to let in the weak winter sunlight. It had snowed overnight, just enough to cover any footprints in the snow, so it was pristine and fresh.

“What are you chuckling about?” Barbara asked as she laced up her other boot and slipped into her winter jacket. Tommy turned from the window and smiled.

“Remembering winters at Howenstowe, there is this big hill, just at the back of the house. It is brilliant for tobogganing down when it snows.” Barbara could easily picture Tommy as a young boy playing at his family’s estate in Cornwall and could not help feeling more than a little envious. It sounded wonderful.

“Come on Sir, you can reminisce on the way,” Barbara told him, checking she had her notebook and pen and following Tommy out of the room. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Lynley and Havers sat in the car and stared at the house from where they had parked. They had met Caroline McGill at her office and had followed her for their surprise visit on Saarrah Forde, but neither had made any effort to get out of the car.

“She lives _here_?” Havers asked, unable to hide her shock, staring at the house in front of them. In reality, calling it a house was being overly generous. Once it may have been a nice row of houses, with kids playing in the yards and mothers calling them in for tea. Now it was derelict and run down. The building was a drab grey it had not had any paint applied to it in recent memory. Both downstairs bay windows were boarded up and graffiti-covered. The front yard was overgrown with weeds and littered with broken bottles.

“I’m not sure living is the right word Havers, let’s go,” Lynley replied climbing out of the car as Caroline McGill and Constable Peters walked over to them. Lynley had questioned why they were taking the young man with them to Caroline’s chuckle. If he wanted his fancy motor to still be there when they came out, then they would need someone to keep an eye on the cars. Lynley slapped his keys into Peter’s hand with a stern order not to scratch it. 

They walked over to Caroline, who was scribbling notes on a clipboard. She did not acknowledge them, so they waited for her to finish. 

“When I told her to fix the window, that was not what I meant,” Caroline said, nodding to the boarded-up windows as she pushed open the rusted gate. Caroline stopped to take more notes. “We have thousands of wonderful tenants in public housing, then there are the ones who treat the houses like this,” she shook her head and kicked broken bottles off the front step and knocked on the door.

Caroline knocked harder, and the door swung open. Lynley was shocked, but Caroline did not seem all that surprised. Pushing it open, she called out, identifying herself. There was no reply. Beckoning them inside, Caroline walked down the narrow hall, Lynley and Havers behind her. The stench was overpowering. 

“Oh hell,” Havers gasped, screwing up her face in disgust and trying not to breathe.

“Are you alright?” Lynley asked to her nod. He grimaced at the smell himself and followed Caroline into the living room. She had flicked on the lights, but with the boarded up front windows, it did not make much difference. The house was an absolute tip. Lynley’s boots stuck to the sticky carpet. He did not want to think of what they were walking through. Pizza boxes were stacked on the floor. By the smell of them, he was sure they contained rotting food. Bottles clinked together as he pushed them aside with his foot, liquid adding more stains to the carpet and the general filth in the house.

Drug paraphernalia littered the coffee table, as well as mugs filled with what he assumed, was once tea or coffee. Most had cigarette butts floating among the scum that had formed on the top. Lynley hoped his breakfast was going to stay down. After studying the room, he focused on Caroline. She was crouched beside the old, battered couch.

Lynley felt his heart thump in shock when the pile of what he thought was more rubbish moved and a head of filthy blonde hair poked out of the blankets. She stared around the room at the three adults and pulled the blankets tighter around her.

“Wha you want?” she slurred, chewing on the nail on her thumb. 

“Unscheduled visitation,” Caroline replied with a tone of voice Lynley had never heard from the woman in their short association. She was a lot tougher than she looked. 

“You were ‘ere last week,” the woman, Saarrah Forde, Lynley assumed, complained.

“Our last visit was four weeks ago,” Caroline moved the cigarettes out of Saarrah’s reach. “Where are your kids?” she demanded standing up and crossing her arms across her chest “Where are they?” she snapped. Saarrah jerked in shock. 

“Round,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and reaching for the cigarettes again. Caroline casually threw them across the room. 

“Around where?” she snapped again “I will search this place if I have to,” before Saarrah could say another word, a child toddled into the filthy room and stopped at Lynley’s feet. 

“Da,” he asked, big blue eyes looking up at Lynley. He was as filthy as his mother, dirt and grime covered his dirty singlet and by the smell of him, he desperately needed changing. Beyond that one word, he did not make another sound. 

Havers crouched down to the boy’s height, and he cowered from her in fear behind Lynley’s legs. She cast a glance up at her boss, puzzlement clear on her face. Lynley just shook his head.

“You need to be changed,” he said crouching down, and the boy huddled into his chest, staring un-trustingly at Havers. Carefully Lynley stood, the boy in his arms, and headed down the short hall to where he hoped the bedrooms were. 

The first room Lynley found was a child's room. Two unmade single beds sat against each wall and a chest of draws between them. The room was not much cleaner than the rest of the filthy house. Putting the boy down on one of the beds, Lynley opened drawers and found some warmer clothes and on the floor a box of disposable nappies. Quickly stripping off the dirty clothes, Lynley washed him as well as he could with the wipes and stripped off his filthy nappy. “Bloody hell” Lynley gasped at the stench but kept babbling nonsense to the little boy as he tried to clean him up. 

Lynley guessed the boy was around two, maybe two-and-a-half years old. He’d spent enough time with his sister Judith’s daughters to know that a child this young was rarely this quiet. He just stared up at Lynley with huge blue eyes and laid there while he was changed by a perfect stranger. His friends Simon and Deborah had spent years on adoption lists before their son, Sebastian, had been placed with them and they had been lucky enough to be offered his sister, Annabelle, eighteen months later. Lynley was their godfather, and he vowed to spend more time with them. He could not help wondering who was looking out for this little boy.

Once the boy was warmly dressed, Lynley picked him up and walked towards the front of the house to the sound of his Detective Sergeant barking orders for someone to get out of the house, and a man stupid enough to out and out try to defy her. 

“Saarrah, where the hell is my son,” the man was yelling over Barbara’s shoulder “Where the fuck is Adam you worthless piece of shit,”

“I’m guessing that is you?” Lynley asked the boy who just stared at him. Lynley brushed his light brown hair back from his forehead and stepped out into the living room.

“He’s alright?” the man asked, quietening down but still agitated. Lynley walked over to him. Adam had no fear of either him or his father. However, as soon as he caught sight of Havers, he tried to hide against Lynley’s chest.

“Who are you?” he demanded of the man, seemingly unaware of the child in his arms.

“I could ask you the same?” he snapped back, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Lynley. “You finally going to do something about her in there?” he demanded, nodding toward the house. 

“I’m Detective Inspector Lynley and this is Detective Sergeant Havers,” he nodded in Havers direction “We are investigating a murder,” he advised the man which thankfully shut him up. “Havers go and see what Caroline has uncovered,” he asked. It was clear the little boy was distressed by her presence. Nodding, she trudged off through the rubbish. 

Barbara heard the man introduce himself as Adam’s father, but her focus was on Lynley and the ease of which he had taken care of the child. The little boy had been filthy and inadequately dressed for a cold January day, but Lynley had merely scooped the toddler up and dealt with the problem. Barbara wondered if he was even aware he was gently rocking the child who was perched on his hip, clearly doing all he could to keep the little boy calm. Seeing Tommy’s ease with the child went a long way to calming Barbara’s nerves about telling him of her pregnancy, but first, they had another child’s murder to solve.

The stench in the house was enough to start her belly rolling, but she got it under control and went over to where Caroline was trying to get some sense out of the woman on the sofa. Caroline had pushed the rubbish off the coffee table and was perched on the edge, talking to the woman who had finally sat upright with the blanket around her shoulders. Havers didn’t blame her. The house was as cold inside as out.

“Saarrah, this is Detective Sergeant Havers, she needs to speak with you,” Caroline told her and Saarrah turned to stare at Barbara. 

“What’da ya want?” she demanded, showing off a row of rotten teeth and the remnants of a black eye.

“We are investigating a murder,” Havers replied, the woman did not show the slightest reaction. The first thing most people ask is “Who”

“So why come ’ere?” she questioned, her leg starting to shake, from the withdrawals Havers correctly assumed. The table was covered in various drug paraphernalia, which she made no effort to hide. 

“Is this your daughter?” Havers asked, pulling a crime scene photo from her handbag and handing it over. Saarrah stared at the photo for a good ten minutes before handing it back. She stared up at Havers, who only just managed not to react to the coldness in the woman’s pale blue eyes.

“Yeah, what of it?” she snarled, clambering to her feet and getting in Havers’ face. The stench of the room was not just from the rotting foodstuffs. It was obvious the woman was not well acquainted with soap and water or toothpaste. 

“She’s dead,” Havers snapped back, her skin crawling at the uncaring attitude of this vile woman in front of her. Her six-year-old child was dead, and all she cared about was her next hit. “Found in a park a week ago,”

“Well, I did not fuckin’ do it!” Saarrah snapped, crossing her thin arms over her bony chest and glaring at Havers. “Where is me son?” she demanded, finally aware the boy was not in the house “What you fuckin’ done with him?” shoving Havers so hard she nearly fell, Saarrah ran out the house with Havers and Caroline on her heels.

They ran out of the house, into thankfully cleaner air, just in time to hear Lynley assure the other man that he would assist in any way he could and he had handed the now sleeping child across to his father who was strapping him into his car seat.

“Where’s me fuckin’ son?” she spat at Lynley, glaring up at him. If at all possible, she looked even worse in the weak winter sun. How she wasn’t shivering was beyond Havers’ comprehension, it was freezing and Saarrah was dressed in thin leggings, a huge oversized jumper and her feet shoved into slippers. _Maybe she’s killed off enough brain cells she can’t feel the cold?_ Barbara wondered.

“Your son is with his father, now we have some questions for you,” Lynley snapped back glaring at the woman. Havers was very glad she was not on the receiving end of the temper Lynley was barely keeping under control. She could see the fury in his eyes.

“He’s mine an’ I fuckin’ want him back,” she yelled in Lynley’s face.

“He is with his father, and he is the least of your worries right now,” Lynley replied calmly, which only infuriated the woman further. The crack of her hand against his cheek echoed around the yard and Havers sucked in her breath in shock.

Before she could deliver another slap, Lynley had grabbed her wrist in his hand. Fury was written across his face, as well as a red palm print across his face. Lynley spun Saarrah easily and firmly pushed her face down across the bonnet of Caroline’s car, he fumbled in his pocket and tugged out a set of handcuffs and cuffed Saarrah’s hands behind her back as she painted the air blue with her filthy language. Lynley dragged her upright and glared at her.

“You’re coming with us,” Lynley appeared far calmer than Havers knew him to be. She could see the vein in his neck pulsing with anger. “Assault of a police officer for starters, several drug charges by the look of that filth you are living in and there is the matter of your missing daughter as well.” Lynley shoved the filthy woman at Constable Peters “Put her in the car,” he stormed back into the house, grabbed what appeared to be the woman’s handbag, checking it she had identification of some sort and keys and slammed the door behind him. 

“Meet us back at the station, put her in an interview room,” he told the young man, handing Caroline the handbag and storming over to the Bristol, he unlocked the door and slide into the driver’s seat as Havers opened her door after watching the other car drive away.

“Do you want to tell me what that was all about?” she asked as she sat in the car “You could have easily stopped her slapping you.” She desperately wanted to caress his bruised face but stopped herself. 

“Do you really want to interview her in there?” Lynley asked nodding to the house to Havers chuckle “No I didn’t think so. A slap across the face is a small enough price to pay to breathe fresh air,” Lynley said as he started the car and drove back to the station. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

“Are you telling me _that_ is who assaulted you?” Will Bryant, one of the drug squad detectives asked, not quite able to keep the amusement from his voice as they observed Saarrah sitting in the interview room. Lynley really could not blame him. He doubted she weighed more than eight stone wringing wet, but she packed one hell of a wallop. His cheek still stung from her slap. Lynley didn’t say a word, just turned to face the detective who winced when he saw the bright red mark on his face. 

“She is stronger than she looks,” Lynley replied, sipping his tea. It was only just warm by now, but it gave him something to do as Saarrah scoffed down the burger and chips they had given her. The woman may be responsible for her daughter’s murder. However, Lynley could not help feeling sorry for her. She had fallen on the food as if she had not eaten in days, which by the look of her she probably had not. He could have easily snapped the bones in her wrist like twigs when he had grabbed her, and her clothes hung from her skeletal body.

“Junkies often are,” Will replied, “We have had run-ins with Ms Forde before. What do you want with her?” he grimaced as he drank his tea, putting the mug back on the table.

“Her daughter was found dead in a park last week,” Lynley told him “She cannot account for the child’s whereabouts,”

“Can’t say I’m surprised, few times we’ve raided her house, she was so out of it, she had no idea a dozen or so coppers were traipsing through her house,” Will said as Havers entered the room to stand beside Lynley. 

“Did you get the warrant?” he asked to Havers nod. He turned back to stare at Saarrah through the glass. One of his colleagues collected the rubbish and gave her a mug of something hot, tea Lynley guessed. 

“The senior crime scene guy has it with him, the team are heading out to search that place top to bottom, both for any drugs charges and in connection with what happened to Katelyn,” Havers told them.

“How long will that take?” Lynley asked Will to his shrug.

“Depends how much we need to collect,” Will replied to both Lynley and Havers laughter “That bad?” he asked to their nod. “Bloody great, I have to make a call,” he said and stepped out of the room.

“How much longer are you going to let her wait?” Havers asked, nodding towards Saarrah sitting in the other room. Before Lynley could reply Will walked back into the room. He did not look happy.

“Problem?” Lynley asked.

“Either of you married?” Will asked both shook their heads “Well take my advice, don’t. Not in this job. Wife’s going to have my balls in a vice when I get home. Anyhow, I’m heading off with the team, I’ll update you when we have news.” With that, he headed out to tear Saarrah’s house apart. 

“Let's go,” Lynley said to Havers “See what Ms Forde has to say for herself,” holding the door open for her, Havers ducked under his arm and walked to the interview room ready to speak to Saarrah about her daughter’s disappearance. 


	6. The noose tightens around a murder's neck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynley and Havers finally get an unexpected breakthrough in the Forde murder case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776783/in/dateposted-public/)

Lynley perched on the edge of the desk, crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the whiteboard. Havers nudged his elbow and handed over a mug of tea.

“Thanks,” he muttered but did not look at her. “None of this makes a damn bit of sense,” which was true. There were huge gaps in the timeline, the information did not add up, and Saarrah was still lying through her teeth.

Saarrah’s interview on Wednesday had taken them until after eight that night and all they had managed to gather were the ramblings of a woman coming down off who knew what. They had admitted her to the local hospital to run tests on what she had taken and to keep her under observation as she went through withdrawals. There was no way she could go back to that hovel she lived in as the drug squad were still going through it and the charges were adding up. 

“How the hell can anyone not know where their six-year-old child is?” Havers demanded, unable to even begin to understand Saarrah’s uncaring attitude towards her children. Her fury towards Lynley removing Adam had not been due to any maternal feelings towards her son, more the fact she would lose any financial support she was receiving to care for him. “Since when did we bloody pay people to look after their kids when they are not bloody doing it?” Havers had complained to Lynley’s agreement. 

“Believe me, Barbara, I do not disagree with you,” he had replied, sipping his tea. “After what my friends Simon and Deborah went through to adopt their two, it just seems so damn unfair when Saarrah does not care about hers at all.” A slight smile crossed his handsome features as Tommy thought of his godchildren. 

“What have you got to smile about?” Barbara demanded; her temper close to the surface. Her stomach still had not settled, and she had been ill every morning, thankfully her room was not near Lynley’s so with any luck he had not heard her being sick. What she had managed to eat also made her stomach roll and the smell of coffee had her retching. Either she wanted to rip someone’s head off or burst into tears. They had only been here since Tuesday, but it felt much longer and by the time they returned to the hotel Barbara had fallen into bed exhausted.

Lynley did not reply, just dug his wallet out of his pocket, flipped it open and handed it to Barbara. There in the photo space was a picture of Tommy buried under two squirming children, a boy and a girl laughing at the camera. 

“Sebastian is four and a half and his sister Annabelle is nearly three. I was their tickle monster,” he said laughing at the memory “Poor Deb was trying to get them to bed but I needed to ask Simon something and well, bedtime was somewhat delayed.” He said with a chuckle and took the wallet back and tucked it into his pocket. 

“You are fond of children?” Barbara asked, sipping her tea and trying to make it sound like an offhand comment as she also stared at the whiteboard. She felt her stomach clench in anticipation of his reply. She had stood by him when Helen had lost their child, but Tommy had rarely mentioned it after Helen had left him, and her subsequent murder.

“Of course, Simon and Deb are doing a wonderful job with theirs, and I have watched my two nieces grow up. I am sure,” he paused, taking a deep breath “when they are your own it is a far harder job, I am just,” Tommy sipped his tea “on the outside looking in,” the old familiar pain flared as it always did when he thought of the child he had lost. It was still a date he would prefer to forget, however, these days he threw himself into work on the day, not a whisky bottle.

They were still staring at the board when Alistair Peters brought their lunch over. They had found out that Moorhouse was Alistair’s uncle and his three older brothers were also in the force. His mother liked to keep herself busy so would often bake for the station or send them lunch. While it was rather unusual, neither Lynley nor Havers were about to complain, Mrs Peters was a brilliant cook and they were both sick of pub food.

Today it was quiche by the looks of it. However, Alistair handed Havers an additional paper bag. She peeked inside and smiled her thanks. It was a double chocolate chip muffin. Barbara had told Alistair to give his mother her thanks and had been rewarded with a muffin every day since. She grinned to Lynley’s scowl and muttered “Favouritism”

Peters stood at stared at the whiteboard for a few minutes. Theirs was the last lunches he had to deliver. The young man had proved himself to be useful over the week, so Lynley let him study the board. He had a copper’s intuition; it was not something that could be taught.

“Inspector Lynley,” he asked hesitantly “How did the young girl get to the park?”

“What?” Lynley asked around a mouthful of quiche, pastry flakes covering the front of his shirt.

“The park,” Peters asked, “It is a good three blocks from where Forde lives, so how did the child get there?” Lynley and Havers both looked at each other searching their memories. Havers dashed into their office and grabbed her notebook, flicking through the pages to find the answer. 

“Says here she has no idea. She was not even aware her daughter was missing,” Havers read from Forde’s statement. “I quote _it ain’t got nothing to do with me_ and _the dumb kid walked off somewhere I guess_ ,” Havers closed the notebook.

“What are you thinking?” Lynley asked the young constable.

“Oh, I was not telling you how to do to your job Sir,” Peters spluttered, his face colouring in embarrassment.

“I never thought you were,” Lynley hurried to assure the young man, “Every member of the team is entitled to add their input to the case, we do not stand on ceremony here, so what is it?”

“Well Sir,” Peters took the map from the whiteboard and laid it on the desk “It seems to me that even if the injury did not kill the child straight away,” he pointed to where Forde’s house was circled in red “How could she stagger that far?” he trailed his finger across the roads to the park where her body was found. “That is a major road,” he ran his finger along a thick black line. 

“It makes sense,” Havers said, seeing what Peters was getting to. “Saarrah may not know how she got there, but someone must,” Lynley could see their point. 

“Come on, let’s go and see what the drug squad has turned up,” Lynley said, finishing his tea and brushing pastry crumbs from his shirt. “I would prefer not to have to re-interview Forde until we are forced to.” Both Havers and Peters nodded at that idea. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Their chat with the drug squad guys had proved very productive and with both teams working together it looked like not only was Saarrah facing murder charges over the death of her daughter but a slew of drug supply and distribution charges as well. There were huge holes in both statements, so they had brought her back into the station to try to fill in the gaps. It had been a frustrating exercise, but miraculously they had managed to get a new name out of her, Igor. She didn’t know his surname.

“Surely there cannot be too many men named Igor in Birmingham,” Havers had asked hopefully, already over this damn case. What should have been a fairly easy murder to solve, was proving far more difficult to pin down. They both knew Saarrah had been responsible for the death of her daughter when she had thrown her across the room in a fit of drug-fuelled rage, but they needed more. There was a tone of forensic evidence, both for the drug and child abuse charges. Blood had been found on the edge of a coffee table and the floor beneath it, both of which had been matched to Katelyn, so it was clear that was where she died, in the filth on the floor. The broken arm and ribs were attributed to when she hit the table.

None of the normal searches brought up anyone by the name of Igor, including drivers licenses and immigration. It appeared it was another dead end and time was ticking. Lynley wanted to get a damn conviction and to go home. Unfortunately, his instincts would not hold up in court, so they needed more than that. The day had been one frustrating dead-end after another and frankly, Lynley was exhausted. Their desks were littered with tea mugs and paperwork. Havers had gone to the bathroom, so he collected all the mugs on a tray and was going to take them to the kitchen when Peters knocked on the door. 

“I’ll take those Sir,” he swiftly took the tray off Lynley “I was just off if you do not need anything else? We are off to a night club tonight,” the young man admitted, clearly excited by the prospect of a night out with his mates. It was times like this that Lynley could not even remember being that young.

“Have fun Peters, we will see you later,” Lynley smiled as the young man carried the tray of mugs to the kitchen and waved as he disappeared towards the lifts.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Tommy rolled over in bed and slapped his hand over the bedside table until he found his phone and answered the annoying thing

“Lynley,” he muttered sleepily, registering it was a little past two in the morning.

“Sorry to wake you, Sir, it’s Peters,” the young man identified himself “I’ve found Igor,” that woke Tommy up, he felt as if someone had thrown a bucket of iced water over him.

“Where the hell are you?” he demanded to lean over to flick on the bedside light and rubbing his eyes.

“At the night club, on Abbott Street.” Peters said quietly, the background noise had diminished “He is inside, selling drugs, well I think he is.” The young man had moved outside to make his phone call “Selling drugs that is, I mean…” Lynley cut him off mid-sentence. 

“Stay where you are, do not go back inside,” Lynley snapped, throwing back the bed covers and hurrying down the hallway to knock on Barbara’s door. A few minutes later she opened it, looking far too adorable in her puppy pyjamas and fluffy socks, hair a tousled mess.

Peters he mouthed, pointing to the phone. She opened the door further to let him into the room. It was too cold in the corridor. Without being asked, Barbara flicked on the kettle to make them tea.

“Do not engage with him Peters,” Lynley snapped “Keep him in your line of sight but do not engage.” Giving her a distracted smile of thanks, Lynley took the tea. “Good, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Lynley replied to something Peters said. 

Hanging up, Lynley scrolled through the numbers in his phone and dialled one of them.

“Bryant? Lynley. Yes, sorry I know the time. We have found Igor,” sipping his tea, Lynley listened to Will Bryant on the other end. 

“If your guys want to bring him in that is fine with me, I just want to question him regarding the Forde murder,” Bryant said something as Lynley nodded “Thirty minutes, we will meet you there,” 

“Well?” Havers demanded the second Lynley had hung up the phone. She was perched on the end of the bed, one foot tucked under her other knee. She looked rumpled, tired and gorgeous, Lynley thought. 

“Peters just phoned me, he had gone out clubbing with his friends and Igor is selling drugs in the club.” Lynley finished his tea, “I have told him not to engage with the man, he’s dangerous. Will Bryant and his team will meet us at the club in thirty minutes,” handing the cup back Lynley yawned “I hate late night calls. Ready in twenty minutes?” he asked Barbara nodded.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Thirty-five minutes later Lynley, Havers and members of the drug squad were around the corner from the nightclub. Lynley had sent Peters a message that they were in position and he had replied with a smiley face to Havers snort of amusement. By the look on his face, Lynley was not amused.

Their breath was visible in the freezing early morning air. Havers was huddled in her coat, standing behind one of the cars listening to Lynley and Bryant discuss the upcoming operation to charge the club and bring Igor into custody. She had to move away from the other officers as a few of them were smoking and the smell was making her nauseous and she did not want to have to dash off to be sick, not when she could not hide it from Lynley. 

“I went to the bar to by a drink and well, he was just standing there,” Peters was telling Lynley, Havers and Bryant. The young man was overly excited about his unexpected good luck at finding Igor. “He even nodded hello to me,” Havers had to smile at the young man’s enthusiasm. He reminded her of Billy Slaven, who had assisted them on both the Maiden and McNicholl murders. 

Bryant headed over to his officers and she could hear him barking orders. They were easy to miss unless you knew they were there, dressed all in black tactical gear. Havers was more than happy to let them storm the night club and arrest Igor.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

The raid had been a huge success with not only Igor caught in the net but two others with pockets crammed full of drugs and money as well as two ladies of the night. Lynley had been rather amused that they now carried business cards and had websites. 

Igor had been formally identified as Dmitry Chumakov, a 34-year-old Russian. No wonder none of their searches had resulted in a match. He was an enormous man, standing a good four or five inches taller than Lynley’s own six foot one. His jacket sleeves straining at the seams to contain his massive arms. Dmitry was well dressed, Lynley often wore a similar charcoal suit and blue shirt, but he made Havers skin crawl. He had ice-cold blue eyes and remained expressionless as he was questioned by Bryant. While he was clever, he was no match to Bryant’s interrogation technique and the evidence they had already gathered against him. While Igor was being interviewed his team were executing a search warrant on his house.

Bryant suspended the interview, turned off the recording equipment and left the room, leaving Dmitry to cool his heels for a while. Pushing open the observation room he stepped in and joined Lynley and Havers who were still staring through the glass.

“He makes my skin crawl,” Havers said shuddering in revulsion. 

“He is not someone I would want near my wife or kids that’s for certain,” Bryant agreed “Slimy bastard sees absolutely nothing wrong with peddling drugs to kids, so long as they line his pockets. He’s selling _Fantasy_ ,” Bryant finger quoted the word “what a load of crap, he’s just peddling drugs to anyone who will pay for them,” clearly it was something Bryant was passionate about. 

“Let’s have a chat with Mr Chumakov,” Lynley said, shrugging into his jacket.

“Havers,” Bryant said hesitantly “I would not recommend you go in there,” as soon as Bryant said that Lynley winced, fully expecting a full-scale Havers blow up.

“Why?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the senior officer. 

“My detective Sergeant is more than capable of looking after herself,” Lynley immediately came to Havers defence. Bryant put his hands up in surrender.

“It is not personal Havers, but you’re a woman,” he pointed to the glass “and he is nothing but a chauvinistic pig but he will not talk if you are in the room. I have had run-ins with him before and I know from a painful experience he will not open his mouth with a woman present,” 

Havers glared at the glass and the man visible through it. It was clear to Lynley she was still furious about what Bryant had told them. 

“Fine,” she snapped, having come to a decision “but I do not like it at all, Sirs,” she snarled the last. 

Lynley could understand her annoyance at being sideswiped but none of them wanted to sit around all day and get nowhere but he had never been one of those that took credit for his sergeant’s work.

“Why don’t you go back to the hotel and catch up some sleep?” Lynley said, pressing his car keys into her hand. “Come pick me up later?” 

Normally Havers would have argued bitterly about being left out however her stomach was starting to misbehave and she was soon her morning ritual of hugging the toilet bowl was about to start up. Nodding she took the keys and left the room to both men’s relief.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Eight hours later Havers pulled the Bristol up in front of the police station and watched as Lynley pushed himself off the brick wall to walk over, open the front door of the car and collapsed into the passenger seat.

“Home Havers,” Lynley commanded as he buckled himself in and closed his eyes. 

“You look done in,” she said, sliding back into traffic.

“Absolutely but we found our missing link.” He glanced over at Havers “Dmitry dumped Katelyn in the park, figured with no identification on the body no one would know who she was,” to Havers credit her driving did not falter.

“So Saarrah did kill her?” she asked, risking a glance at Lynley. 

“Yes, the girl was hungry, tried to steal a slice of pizza. Saarrah was off her face on whatever she had injected. She grabbed her daughter’s arm and threw her across the room, breaking her arm in the process. Katelyn hit her head on the coffee table, as we suspected from the blood residue. She was dead before anyone checked on her.” Closing his eyes, Lynley fell silent. 

Ten minutes later Havers pulled into the hotel car park and parked the Bristol. She couldn’t help her smile as she looked across to a sleeping Lynley in the passenger seat. Lynley looked exhausted, he had not had time to shave that morning so was wearing a full day’s worth of stubble, Havers quite liked the scruffy look on him. He was due a haircut, so it was a little longer than normal. 

“Sir,” she gently shook him awake “come up wake up sleepy head, we are back at the hotel, let’s get you inside,” blearily he opened his eyes and looked at her.

“Thanks, Havers,” Lynley climbed out of the car and waited for her to lock the car and walk over to the stairs. 

“Come on, your bed is calling you,” Barbara was a little shocked when Tommy draped his arm around her shoulder. He was exhausted from a very long day, but Barbara craved his touch, so she was not going to shake his arm off. Looping her arm around his waist, they slowly climbed the stairs.

Opening Tommy’s door, Barbara walked him over to the bed and pulled the covers back and dumped him on the bed with a bounce.

“Do you want dinner? I can see if the kitchen can heat something for you?” Tommy nodded as he toed off his shoes. By the time she got back he had managed to crawl under the covers, his clothes a pile beside the bed and was fast asleep. 

Unable to control her grin at the sight before her, Barbara brushed his hair back from his forehead and pulled the covers over Tommy’s shoulders. Picking up the tray, she went back to her room and ate Tommy’s dinner herself. 


	7. Saarrah Forde arrested for murdering her daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynley and Havers finally arrest Saarrah Forde for murdering her daughter and Tommy shows his softer side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776758/in/dateposted-public/)  
> 

“Lynley,” Tommy sleepily answered his phone, still buried under the bedcovers.

“Good morning Sir,” Havers cheerful voice echoed down the line. Tommy could not prevent his smile at hearing her voice. “This is your morning wake up call,” he chuckled.

“What time is it,” Tommy asked, yawning.

“Nearly eight, I thought you deserved a lie in after yesterday. How did you sleep?” she asked.

“Like a log, thanks for coming to get me,” Tommy rolled over and was pleased to see the sun shining behind the curtains. 

“My pleasure, I’m heading down for breakfast, if his Lordship would like to get his lazy arse out of bed?” Barbara teased to Tommy’s chuckle. 

“How could I ignore such a demand? I’ll unlock the door for you.” Hanging up, Tommy threw back the covers and shivered in the cold room. He dashed across the room and unlocked the door before diving back under the covers, grabbing a jumper on the way. 

“Come in,” he called out to the light knock on the door and Barbara’s head poked around it to his smile. “Hey,”

“So, how did yesterday go?” Barbara asked, dropping down onto the side of the bed and waiting impatiently for Tommy to drag a jumper on, much to her regret, but the room was cold so she could forgive him. He had not bothered to change into his pyjamas overnight. She couldn’t help wondering if he was naked under the covers. His head popped out of the neck of the jumper and Barbara burst out laughing.

“Your hair is a mess,” she said, grinning as Tommy dragged his hands through it to try to tame the mess. He was not all that successful. “Well?” she asked impatiently.

“We got her Barbara, we finally got her,” Tommy told her, his hands linked behind his head, grinning in delight. “Took us eight hours in interrogation, after Will was done with Dmitry, but we got Saarrah for Katelyn’s murder.” Tommy was clearly about to launch into a full description, but his stomach gave a very loud protest to Barbara’s laugh.

“I think we should feed you first,” she got to her feet “I’ll go order us breakfast, see you soon,” Barbara left the room and Tommy threw back the covers again, ripped the jumper off and hurried to the bathroom. He had not had time to shave yesterday and the stubble on his face was itchy.

Twenty minutes later he walked downstairs and into the dining room. Searching the room, he quickly found Barbara sitting by the window reading the paper. Walking over, he pulled out the other chair to her surprise. 

“I ordered you a full breakfast, without the black pudding,” Barbara hastened to add, “Do you want tea?” Tommy nodded and sat down. A few minutes later one of the girls put his breakfast in front of him. 

Barbara was very glad she had already been sick twice this morning, but the smell was still making her stomach roll unpleasantly. She pushed her chair back further to make it look like she needed room to cross her legs. 

“Come on, stop stalling, what happened after I left,” Barbara demanded, sipping her tea. Tommy wiped his mouth and put his knife and fork down.

“Dmitry was at Saarrah’s house, he had just delivered her supply of heroin, a regular standing order. He is smart enough not to use the stuff himself, but he loads Saarrah up and she sells it for him. She wanted to try the new batch, so Dmitry was happy to let her shoot up. With her two kids in the house,” Tommy said angrily. 

“So, we have a slew of charges to throw at her?” Barbara asked sipping her tea, it helped her stomach settle. “Murder has to be at the top of that list,” Tommy nodded.

“Top spot goes to the murder of her daughter, neglect of both children, endangerment of a child,” Tommy ticked the charges off on his fingers “Plus whatever Will has to throw at her. Ms Forde will be held at Her Majesty’s pleasure for a very long time,” Tommy finished his breakfast and wiped his mouth, throwing the napkin on his plate. “Come on, let’s go tell her the good news,”

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

As expected, neither Saarrah Forde nor Dmitry Chumakov took too kindly to the news. They were both being charged with various murder and drugs charges, which would result in lengthy prison terms. Personally, Lynley hoped Forde was never released, but he knew that sentencing was up to the Judge. She had not shown one minute of remorse for the death of her daughter and lifelong neglect of her both her children.

Saarrah had flown across the room at him, claws at the ready, but Lynley was ready for her this time and grabbed both her wrists before she could scratch up his face as was her aim.

“I am more than happy to add assault of a police officer to your long list of charges if you would like?” he had snarled, which had resulted in a tirade of foul language as the uniformed officers dragged her downstairs to the cells to await her appearance before a judge in the morning.

“I feel like I need another shower,” Lynley said as Forde’s yelling diminished as she was dragged away. He and Havers had dealt with their fair share of murderers in their partnership, including child killers, but Forde had truly been evil. There was no motive for killing her daughter except her desire to get high.

“You have to admit Sir,” Havers said, a slight smile ghosting her face, “That was some impressive swearing. I nearly dug out my notebook,” Lynley snorted at her comment and opened the door.

“Come on, let's finish up the paperwork so we can head home,” Havers ducked under his arm and they headed upstairs to be greeted by cheers and applause from the other officers. Havers would have happily hidden behind Lynley, but he was having none of that and made her stand beside him.

“That is enough,” he told the officers laughingly, “It was a joint effort between myself, Havers and the drug squad,” Lynley nodded towards Will Bryant who was standing with his men “I would like to thank Constable Alistair Peters,” the room erupted again “If he had not gone out clubbing with his mates, it may have taken us a lot longer to break this case,” Peters was pushed and shoved towards the front of the room. The young man was grinning broadly, even if his ears were bright red in embarrassment. 

Someone handed out cheap champagne in coffee mugs or water glasses and three cheers went up. The stuff was dreadful, but Lynley joined in the celebrations with his colleagues. However, he noticed Peters was not drinking. The young man looked visibly upset. Edging his way to the side of the group, he disappeared down the hall. Worried about the young man, Lynley slipped away as well.

Lynley found Peters behind the stations’ front desk, unnecessarily tidying papers and checking if the pens worked. In the week he had Havers had been here, Lynley doubted he had seen a member of the public approach the front desk without an appointment. 

“Peters?” Lynley questioned quietly and the young man jerked startled “What is wrong?” 

“Nothing Inspector, sorry I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Peters said however he would not meet Lynley’s eyes. It was unlike the young man. Lynley walked behind the counter.

“You did not disturb me Alistair, but something is bothering you,” 

“I… it’s just,” Peters stalled, unable to go on.

“Come on,” Lynley gently guided the young man out from behind the counter “Come and talk to me, something is bothering you,” reluctantly Peters followed Lynley to his office, where Havers was waiting for them. Three mugs of tea were sitting on the desk. Lynley closed the door.

“What’s wrong, Alistair? It’s clear something has upset you?” Lynley prompted to get Peters to open up to them. 

“How do you do it?” Alistair asked, his voice cracking with emotion “Celebrate like that after a child has been murdered by her mother?” 

“We are not celebrating the murder, Alistair,” Lynley told him gently “We are celebrating the closure of the case and putting that murderer away. How long have you been in the force?”

“Nearly two years. I am not sure I am cut out for it. Chief says I’m too emotional,” Lynley and Havers shared a look over that comment.

“You would be a far worse police officer if you were not emotional Alistair,” Havers told him “We are not robots, we are human and we see the worst of people.”

“CID is not for everyone,” Lynley said “From what I’ve seen you have a natural affinity towards helping the public? Point your career in that direction?” Lynley suggested. “I have no doubt you will be a fine police officer Alistair, but focus on your strengths, not a direction that your uncle or brothers want you to go in,” Lynley pulled one of his cards from his pocket “Ring me at any time if you want to talk. I remember what it’s like starting out.”

“Thank you, Sir, I suppose I’m just not used to that side of life yet,” he gave Lynley and Havers a shy smile and left the room. 

“He will do well, he has the instincts, just needs to polish them,” Lynley said as he finished his tea. “Now the worst part of the job, paperwork!” he grumbled to Havers smile.

Computers had speed up the end of case paperwork but unfortunately, with a case like this covering both murder and drugs charges, there was still far too much of it for Lynley’s liking. 

“Lynley, Havers, we’re heading out for beers and pizza, do you want to join us?” Bryant stuck his head into the office. Lynley checked his watch and was stunned to see it had gone six.

“Sounds good to me, you in Havers?” he asked, stretching his arms above his head to get the stiffness from his shoulders. 

“Sure, on one condition,” she put her hand out “Keys, you are not driving back to the hotel,” grumbling he tugged them out of his pocket and dropped them into her palm.

“Don’t blame you, Lynley, I would not want to put a scratch on that car of yours either, it’s a beauty,” Bryant said envy clear in his voice. “Come on you can follow me,” both tugged on scarfs and jackets and followed Bryant to a small local pub that was packed with fellow officers.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

“What happened to _I am never drinking again_?” Barbara asked the next morning when Tommy finally dragged himself downstairs for breakfast. He had showered and shaved but still looked like hell. She couldn’t help laughing at the glare he shot her way.

“You are a cruel, cruel woman Barbara Havers,” he complained, wrapping his hands around the coffee mug as soon as she had filled it. “Why are you so chirpy?”

“Designated driver,” she replied, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice and swinging his car keys from her fingers.

“Keep them, I’m still in no condition to drive.” Tommy sipped his coffee and waved off food. “What time did we get back? It is a bit… blurry!” he admitted.

“I dragged you out of the pub around midnight, we got back here about half-past I guess,” Barbara replied nibbling on her toast. It was about all that would stay down at the moment. She was eternally grateful that she had been able to hide her morning sickness from Tommy so far, but she knew she would have to tell him and soon.

“Come on, let’s get this damn reports written and given to Moorhouse so we can head home. I want to soak in my tub for hours,” 

“Now who is being cruel!” Barbara grouched “I’ve only got a small shower,”

“You are always more than welcome to come and use my tub, Barbara,” Tommy gave her one of his one-armed hugs as they left the dining room. “I’ll even supply the bubbles if you like?”

They had reached the car and Tommy gave Barbara one of those adorable smiles that brought out his dimples as they climbed in and headed to the station.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

“DI Lynley, DS Havers, Caroline McGill has asked if you could go up to see her when you have a moment,” Peters stuck his head around the door to pass on his message. “It has something to do with Adam Forde, the brother of the little girl who died,” 

“Thanks, Peters, we will go up and see her,” Lynley stood and finished his tea, shrugging into his leather jacket.

“I wonder what she wants?” Havers asked checking she had her notebook and following Lynley to the lifts. 

“No idea, could have something to do with how he was removed from Forde’s care?” Lynley announced themselves to the same receptionist who blushed under Lynley’s attention. 

_I don’t blame you at all_ Barbara thought noting the young girl flush. Lynley’s charm was deadly to a grown woman, to a young girl it would be more than she would know how to handle. He had been mainlining coffee all morning and had they had just returned from the pub where Tommy had devoured a steak, chips and a pint for lunch. Honestly, he should not look that good when he was drinking until midnight! Admittedly it had only been beer and not whisky that he had been drinking at the Christmas party. 

“Lynley, Havers, thanks for coming,” Caroline walked over to them, “I wanted to discuss Adam Forde with you before you head back if that is okay with you,”

“Of course,” Lynley said, “Anything we can do to help.” They both followed Caroline into her office and took the seats she indicated on the other side of her desk.

“Adam’s father, Matthew, obviously wants custody of his son. He’s been fighting for it since the boy was born. As his mother is now facing a custodial sentence for murdering his sister, I’ve told Matthew he has a good chance of custody.” Caroline explained. “We have managed to secure a short hearing before a Judge tomorrow and I was hoping you would speak on Matthew’s behalf. It would go a long way in helping his case.”

“Of course, we can do that,” Lynley replied keeping the smile on his face but honestly he would have much rather be heading home but a little boy’s future depended on it.

They spent the afternoon discussing the case with Caroline and going over the facts of Adam being removed from his mother. It was dark again by the time they had finished. 

“I’m fed up with pub food, how about dinner somewhere?” Lynley asked as they headed back to their borrowed office. “Italian was always a favourite if I recall?” he questioned with that damn adorable grin Havers could never say no to.

“Italian sounds good but I could do with a shower first?” 

“Let’s go,” Lynley took the car keys back and after closing down their computers and bidding their colleagues' goodnight, they left for the night. 

“You go freshen up, or whatever you women do,” Tommy dodged Barbara’s playful slap, grinning at her “I’ll find us a restaurant,” giving him a mock glare, Barbara hurried up to her room. 

“It is not a date, it’s just dinner, you have had dinner with him before,” Barbara tried to tell herself but somehow she just could not convince herself of that. It was different, everything was different, she was carrying his child.

Hurrying to the bathroom Barbara turned on the shower and stripped off. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she turned sideways, spreading her hand over her stomach and stared. Honestly, so far it just looked like she was carrying some weight, not nearly eight weeks pregnant. 

“You have to tell him, soon,” she told her reflection before stepping under the warm water and grabbing her shower gel. “When we get home, on familiar territory,” Barbara decided then dunked her head under the water. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

An hour later they pulled up at the restaurant and two valets hurried over to the car, one walking around to Tommy’s side and the other opening Barbara’s door.

“Welcome to Bellissimo Sir, Madam, please come this way,” their valet asked in heavily accented Italian and opened the restaurant doors where a maitre d' escorted them to a secluded booth towards the rear of the room.

“This is your idea of a _casual_ dinner?” Barbara queried as they slid into a semi-circular leather booth with subdued lighting and crystal wine glasses. It was beautiful. Tommy just shrugged as their waiter shook out napkins, placed them over their laps, handed them leather-bound menus and withdrew. 

“I figured we deserved it,” Tommy said studying his menu “This case has been one frustration after the other and I am sick of pub food. So, what do you fancy?”

 _You_ , Barbara, thought but didn’t voice her desire instead stared at the menu in frustration. Eventually, she put it down and gave Tommy an irritated glare.

“Well you will have to do the ordering, I don’t read Italian, which you damn well know,” cheeky sod just grinned at her, knowing he had been caught out.

The waiter returned and Tommy ordered for them both, in flawless Italian of course. His smug grin told Barbara he was most definitely showing off. The waiter returned with their wine and Barbara nodded. She’d done a quick Internet search while Tommy had been out of the office, a small glass of wine was allowed. 

“It’s beautiful,” Barbara said looking around the restaurant “I’ve never eaten anywhere like this before,” 

“You deserve it, you did well on this case,” Tommy clinked his glass against hers “I don’t tell you often enough but I’m proud of you and glad we were partnered on that first case,” he had to grin as Barbara tried to hide her blush. It lightly tinged her cheeks and made her look even more adorable. 

“That was the first time I saw you in your posh togs,” Barbara remembered the day “You looked so sad. That was the first thing I noticed. You shouldn’t be sad at a wedding,” He was so happy for Simon and Deborah but at the time he had been eaten up with jealousy. 

“Sorry, no posh togs packed this time,” he said laughing “You look lovely by the way,” she did, casually dressed but still beautiful, although Tommy suspected Barbara could wear anything and he would want to see it on his bedroom floor. 

The food came and of course, it was what Barbara would have ordered for herself but then she figured they had shared enough meals that it was not too big a stretch. 

It was a wonderful meal, and they had finished it off with Italian coffee and shared a plate of pastries. Honestly, Barbara was loathed for it to finish however when the waiter asked if they needed anything else Tommy asked for the bill.

“I don’t suppose there is any point in offering to pay for my share, is there?” she asked when the waiter whisked the bill away with Tommy’s credit card. 

“No point at all,” Tommy replied as he stood and helped Barbara out of the booth. He placed his hand on the small of her back and easily directed her towards the front door so he could collect his credit card and their jackets. 

The drive back to the hotel was quiet, both deep in their thoughts. Tommy parked the Bristol and ever the gentleman made sure Barbara didn’t slip on the icy ground. This sort of treatment would be far too easy to get used to Barbara could not help thinking.

It was late when they got back, and the hall lights had been dimmed. Tommy escorted Barbara to her door, even though it was only three doors from his own. She pulled the key from her handbag and turned to say goodnight.

Tommy was standing closer than was necessary, her senses were enveloped in his unique smell. 

“Thank you for tonight,” Barbara said quietly, drowning in his gorgeous brown eyes.

“It was my pleasure,” Tommy replied and slowly lowered his head and kissed her. 

It wasn’t the desperate flare of passion from when they had kissed at the Christmas party, rather it felt like he had finally come home. Breaking the kiss Tommy pressed his forehead against hers.

“We need to talk,” he admitted, knowing he needed this woman in his life as more than a work partner like he needed his next breath. 

“Yes, we do, but not here. Would you come to my place Friday evening? I have something I need to tell you.” Barbara asked Tommy and at his nod, she left him standing in the corridor. 


	8. Barbara has some unexpected news for Tommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Barbara secure the future of one little boy and Barbara finally tells Tommy her unexpected news.
> 
> I have re-written this chapter three times, I hope it does not disappoint!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776748/in/dateposted-public/)  
> 

The next two days had stretched Havers nerves to breaking point. She was on edge and snappy. She needed to talk to Lynley about her pregnancy, but it had been one delay after another, and she was about to rip someone’s head off.

They had stayed for another day to speak on Matthew Carlton’s behalf for his petition to gain full custody of his son. Neither minded that, however, the judge they were to see was delayed and delayed and they still had not seen him and it was nearly three in the afternoon. 

Matthew’s fear and uncertainty had rubbed off on both of them until Havers had to walk outside to get some fresh air and calm her nerves. The courthouse was a beautiful old sandstone building, the grounds would have been beautiful in spring or summer however, right now they were buried under snow.

“Havers?” she turned to see Lynley walking towards her. He was rugged up against the cold in his long black overcoat and his hands shoved into the pockets. His blue scarf wrapped around his neck and tucked into the top of his coat. “The judge will be here in about ten minutes,” he chuckled, and she knew disbelief had been clear on her face. “Yes, I know, he said that at ten this morning,”

Before Lynley could say another word, his mobile rang. Answering it, he hardly said more than his name before he was hanging up again.

“Judge is back, let’s get this over with,” Havers nodded in agreement and followed Lynley back inside. They sat through all the normal legalities until Caroline finally called on Lynley to speak. Thankfully it was a more casual hearing so Lynley did not need to be sworn in, just introduced to the judge.

“Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley?” he questioned looking over his glasses “Any relation to Lord Alexander Lynley?” the judge asked.

“Yes, your Honour, he was my father,” Lynley replied, wondering where this was going.

“Was?” the judge questioned. 

“Yes, your Honour, he died twenty-two years ago from cancer,” Lynley told the judge, pain flaring in his chest at the memory of his father.

“Sorry to hear that my boy, we were school friends. Now onto this young lad.” Lynley explained the situation of Adam’s rescue and thankfully the proceedings moved along quickly after that.

The judge did not appear to be pleased to learn young Adam was currently sharing his father’s room while living at his parent’s house with his brother and two sisters until Lynley came to his defence.

“Your honour, may I speak on Matthew’s behalf?” Lynley asked. At the judge’s nod, he continued, “When my Sergeant and I rescued Adam he was living in a filthy drug house with inadequate heating. Sharing a room with his father may be unorthodox but I am certain it is far better than what he is used to, and he is now surrounded by a loving family.” Lynley tried not to fidget under the older man’s scrutiny. 

“Very well, thank you, Inspector. I have all the information I need at present but will reserve my judgement until next week. Are you heading back to London?”

“Yes, your Honour. My Sergeant and I hope to leave tonight.” Lynley tried to keep the hopeful tone out of his voice. 

“Very well, you and your Sergeant may head back to London, any further information can be gathered by telephone. Ms McGill, I will see you and Mr Carlton back here next week. I will release the boy to your care, Mr Carlton, look after your son, he is going to need you.” Matthew nodded enthusiastically, and they all filed out after the judge had left.

“Thank you, Inspector, Sergeant, I appreciate your speaking up for me,” Matthew shook both their hands and left with Caroline. Lynley and Havers watched them walk off. 

“I hope it works out for both of them,” Havers said as Matthew and Caroline turned the corner and out of their view. 

“I do too, now let’s get out of here and go home,” Tommy opened the door and waited until Barbara was buckled in. He drove back to the hotel, changed into jeans and a thick jumper for travelling and checked them out.

“Are you sure you are fine to drive?” Barbara asked, “It is already after five and we will not get to London until after eight at the earliest?” 

“I will be fine, if I get tired, you can take over,” Tommy put their bags in the boot and slammed it shut, digging the keys out of his pocket.

“Oh, thanks very much,” Barbara said laughing, “I get the London driving,” he just grinned and climbed into the car.

A little after nine that night Tommy pulled up in front of Barbara’s flat.

“I can walk that far by myself,” Barbara pointed to the entrance to her block “I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.” Tommy climbed out and pulled her bag from the boot. “Good night Sir,” she took her bag from him and with a small wave, disappeared into the entrance to her flat. Tommy waited until her light flicked on before he climbed back into the Bristol and drove off.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Friday morning was spent filling Chief Superintendent Hillier in on the Forde murder. Naturally, it was not solved fast enough for his liking and he was more than a little annoyed about the expenses allocated to their extra days to testify on Matthew’s behalf in his custody hearing. Lynley and Hillier had never got on so Lynley and Havers both knew he was just complaining to hear his voice.

“If the expenses are an issue Sir, I am more than happy to cover them myself,” Lynley told him. “I made the executive decision to stay to assist a man to gain custody of his son. Sergeant Havers was following my orders.” Lynley told the Superintendent not breaking eye contact. One of them was going to have to back down first and Lynley was determined it was not going to be him, not this time.

“Just submit them, now get out of my office. I’m sure you have work to do here,” Hillier snapped and waved them off. 

Havers could not contain her snort of laughter as they left Hillier’s office and walked towards the lifts.

“What is so funny?” Lynley asked pushing the button for their floor.

“You and Hillier, it is like watching two dogs, snapping and snarling at each other. I just want to be there when someone slips your collars,” Lynley just gave her a look and stepped into the lift.

“He annoys me. Bloody expenses, seriously that is all he has to complain about?” Lynley asked tersely “I will pay for the damn hotel myself,” 

“You know that is exactly what he wants you to do,” Havers said “For you to pay for your expenses. Do not let him rile you.” Lynley nodded in agreement, knowing she was right. 

Havers was reading over a report when someone dropped a bag on her desk. A delicious smelling bag. Looking up she found Lynley standing beside her desk with his own lunch.

“Lunch, from Toby’s,” he said unnecessarily as it was their favourite lunch spot, and the name was emblazoned on the bag. Lynley snagged a chair with his foot and dragged it over to Havers desk. She moved her reports in a hurry as she did not want burger grease all over them again.

“You know you have your own desk?” Havers said around a mouthful of burger, licking the juice of her fingers. Lynley shrugged.

“I know!” he replied cheekily, taking a bite of his burger. Shaking her head at him, Havers noticed the rest of their colleagues were also munching on lunch from Toby’s. Lynley had bought everyone lunch, which was not that unusual, he did it often. Hillier may have disliked Lynley for personal reasons, but he was one of the most popular Inspectors at the Met for just this reason. He cared about his colleagues and would show it. 

“You have to promise me one thing,” Barbara said, dipping her chips into the juice from her burger “If Toby is ever considering moving or going out of business, you have to buy him out, just for this,” she held up her burger to signify the importance of her request.

“Deal,” Tommy said laughing. Barbara was one of the very few women in his life who did not care one iota about his money or title. She regularly teased him about them.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

The rest of the afternoon had flown and around five Barbara knocked on Tommy’s open door. He looked up from his report writing.

“I am heading home, are you… free tonight?” she asked nervously playing with the cord on her jacket. Nervousness was not something Tommy associated with his Sergeant. Stubborn, passionate, fiery, determined and dedicated but not nervous. 

“Of course, I will follow you then?” Barbara nodded and waited until Tommy had slipped into his jacket and checked he had his keys. They rode in silence to the car park and headed for their cars. 

What should have been approximately a thirty-minute drive took a frustrating fifty minutes before Barbara was pulling into her parking spot and switching off her mini. She knew telling Tommy was the right thing to do, but she was terrified of his reaction to her news. Even after so many years as his partner, Barbara still could not settle on how he would react. A knock on her car window made Barbara jump, and she looked up to see Tommy standing in the cold looking at her quizzically.

“Sorry,” she said climbing out of the car and locking it. Not looking at Tommy she hurried to her door and unlocked it and walked into her living room. Wordlessly she walked over to her small bar and poured Tommy a scotch. She knew he was going to need it. 

“Barbara, what is wrong?” Tommy asked, “You are worrying me,” he had never seen her so anxious in all the years they had worked together. She handed him a scotch, it was nearly half a glass and started to pace her small living room. He knew from long experience that Barbara had to get her thoughts in order before she would speak, and rushing her was pointless, so he let her pace, even if it was worrying. 

“Do you remember the Christmas party?” she eventually asked, still not looking at him. “Well after the Christmas party?”

“Yes,” Tommy replied, “It is not something I will ever forget,” which was true. It had featured in his dreams often in the last few weeks.

“You are not wrong,” Barbara replied with a slight chuckle. However, there was no joy in it. What she was about to tell him was no laughing matter. “You… left me with… an unexpected gift that night.”

“I did?” Tommy asked puzzled, sipping his scotch. Barbara only nodded, walking over to stare out the front window into the darkness.

“Yes,” she finally turned to face him, wanting to see the look on his face when she dropped her bombshell. Taking a deep breath Barbara blurted out “I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant!” Tommy stammered shocked. It was the last thing he had expected Barbara to say. She just nodded, dropping her gaze from his and wrapping her arms around herself protectively. She was pulling away from him. 

Barbara’s heart broke at the look on Tommy’s face at her news. Shock, horror, disbelief, nonacceptance, denial, disgust. He looked like an animal that had been cornered and was looking for a way out.

“Don’t worry, I do not want anything from you,” she eventually broke the heavy silence between them. “I just… thought you should know.”

“Do not want anything from me?” Tommy demanded, his voice low and angry “What the hell does that mean Barbara?” 

“What does it sound like?” she snapped back. Her temper, held in check these last few weeks, was too close to the surface and it boiled over. “This is my only chance to have a child and I am taking it,” she glared back at him.

“So, I am just supposed to step aside and walk out of my child’s life am I? Do nothing and pretend it doesn’t exist? What do you take me for? Another Luxford.” Tommy demanded angrily, “If you think I would turn my back on you or my child, then you do not know me as well as you think you do.” 

“You did not sign up for this,” she yelled at him, trying to explain but Tommy interrupted her.

“Neither did you,” Tommy yelled back “But if you think you’re going through this alone, you are wrong,”

“I am not your bloody… duty,” she snapped, struggling for the right word.

“I never damn well thought you were,” Tommy snapped back dragging his hands through his hair in frustration. “When did you find out?” he questioned.

“January, when you sent me to the doctor.” She snarled at him.

“Why are you only just telling me now, that was two weeks ago,” Tommy demanded crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because we had the murder of another child to solve first. Hiding the bloody morning sickness is getting more difficult, and it is going to become apparent something is going on. Either that or I am just getting fat,” she snapped in return. This was fast becoming a screaming match between the two of them, and that was the last thing she wanted.

“It was not dodgy Chinese was it?” Tommy demanded, clearly remembering her excuse for being sick on their way to the case.

“No it was not Chinese, it was morning sickness. I was not about to throw up in your precious car.” She replied, too tired to argue with him. 

“Damn my car, Barbara, you should have told me,” Tommy insisted. 

Emotion got the better of her and Barbara turned away, trying to get herself under control. _I will not cry in front of him, I will not_ Barbara mentally ordered herself.

She may have pulled it off except two gentle arms turned her around to face him and looking up into that beloved face. Barbara tried to stomp down on her emotions, to get them back under control but they had simmered too close to the surface for the last two weeks and she broke down in tears. She was once again pulled into Tommy’s arms as she sobbed into his chest.

Tommy’s head was spinning. A child, Barbara was carrying his child. They were having a baby. He was going to be a father. _Oh hell_ , he thought slightly terrified by her confession. Barbara’s sobs finally quietened, and she simply stood in his arms. Tommy dropped a kiss onto Barbara’s hair, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. Taking her hand, Tommy led her over to the sofa and sat, pulling Barbara down beside him.

“I’m sorry, I…” Barbara tried to explain but Tommy put his finger over her lips to silence her.

“I’m not. Yes, it is unexpected and unplanned, but I am not unhappy about it. Shocked definitely but you are not doing this alone Barbara,” 

“I…” she started to argue again.

“No Barbara, it is not up for discussion.” Tommy told her sternly, taking her hands in his he rubbed his thumbs over the back of them, “You did not get pregnant by yourself, so there is no way I’m letting your raise our child on your own. You are, raising it I mean?” he asked, sounding unsure for the first time. 

“Yes,” Barbara said quietly “I…” she paused, taking a deep breath “I looked into termination but, well, I just could not do it. I wanted to tell you but then we were sent to solve Katelyn’s murder and it did not seem right.” 

“I understand that, but please Barbara, we have to talk. I…” this time it was Tommy’s turn to pause, unsure how what he wanted to say would be taken. 

“What is it?” she asks. “Talk about what?” now it was Tommy’s turn to pace, although her living room was not big enough, his long legs covered its length in a few steps.

“Anything really,” he shrugged “It doesn’t have to be anything particular. I do not want us to end up like Helen and me, hardly speaking unless it was an argument.” He looked up at her, hoping she would understand. 

“We have always argued,” Barbara pointed out logically, getting to her feet and stepping into the kitchen, to switch the kettle on and pull down mugs, holding one up, to his nod. 

“Yes, over a case and I have no doubt we will do so again, but you have never deliberately gone after my blood. I am far from perfect, you know that better than anyone,” he gratefully took the mug. “But I swear to you I will always be here for you both.” He sounded so earnest that Barbara knew he was telling her the truth.

“I did not do this on purpose, Sir,” Barbara said sitting down again and sipping her tea to his chuckle. 

“You are carrying my child Barbara, I think you should use my given name, don’t you?” she would always love his smile, it brought out his dimples and made his eyes shine, little laugh lines beside them deepening. 

“What? You were not christened Sir?” she questioned cheekily to his bark of laughter.

“Thankfully no, and you are not the sort of woman to get pregnant on purpose,”

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, anger flaring at his casual disregard. Tommy put his hand up to forestall her.

“That came out wrong, let me explain,” he took a sip of his forgotten scotch “Without a doubt, the most embarrassing conversation I ever had with my father was about girls,” 

“The birds and the bees talk?” she asked grinning at the thought of his juvenile embarrassment.

“No, far worse than that. The pounds and the pence talk,” at her puzzled expression Tommy flopped back against the lounge and continued “One thing a man in my position learns at a very early age is everyone always wants something. A boys boarding school taught me more about sex than my father ever could have but one thing he did know was not only how to make a fortune but how to keep it.”

“You have to tell me about Eton one day,” Barbara said grinning to his nod.

“I am well acquainted with women who want to get their hands on my money,” Tommy turned to look at Barbara “You are not one of them. You tease me about it, and my title, more than anyone else I know.”

“I was terrified of telling you,” she admitted “after Helen,” she said so quietly that Tommy nearly missed it. 

“Ah, that,” he said finishing the scotch “I was torn up with guilt when Helen lost the baby because I was not exactly thrilled when she told me she was pregnant. I thought I was being punished, but I had come around. I did want it,” 

“You don’t need to convince me of that Tommy, I know you did. Helen should not have walked out on you; you lost a baby too.” She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it.

“Which is why I will do everything I can to protect you both this time. Whatever it takes Barbara I swear to you,” his voice cracked and unexpectedly Tommy dropped to his knees in front of her and buried his head in her lap. “I’ll keep you safe,” Barbara gently ran her fingers through his slightly too long hair as he held her tightly. 

“I know you will and I promise I will not do anything reckless either,” Tommy sat up, his eyes bright with un-shed tears, which broke Barbara’s heart. Still a little hesitant with him, this was all so new, Barbara reached out and wiped the tears off Tommy’s cheeks, giving him a small, shy smile “You will be a fantastic father,” 

Raising onto his knees Tommy leaned forward and gently kissed her. Not the blazing passion of the Christmas party but more a promise of forever.

“Stay tonight?” Barbara asked hesitantly when they parted “We can talk more tomorrow? Work out what we are going to do.”

“My bag is still in the car,” Tommy said with a slight blush “Let me go and get it,” Barbara nodded and Tommy stood and hurried to his car. 

He leaned on the car bonnet and took a deep breath. Barbara’s news had been a shock, one drunken night and it seemed he had been handed all he had ever wanted. Nothing could go wrong this time, he would do everything within his power to keep Barbara and the baby safe. Grabbing his bag, Tommy hurried back to her flat and their future together.


	9. Tommy tells Denton about Barbara's pregancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy stays the night at Barbara's after she drops her news and accidentally tells his valet Denton, who naturally does not react as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667600132/in/dateposted-public/)

Tommy was very glad Barbara had upgraded her bed to something larger since he had helped her move in, but he still could not get to sleep. The streetlight outside her bedroom gave him enough light to see by. They had talked until nearly midnight and it was clear to Tommy that Barbara was exhausted, both by their time in Birmingham and keeping her pregnancy a secret from him. 

“Come on, let’s get some sleep,” he had said to her sleepy nod of agreement. She ducked into the bathroom and did what she needed, walking out soon after and giving him a shy smile. Tommy pulled his pyjamas and toothbrush from his bag and quickly changed. He had to admit, it was all a bit strange, but they had to start getting used to each other sooner rather than later. 

Barbara had eventually nodded off from sheer exhaustion but sleep still eluded Tommy. He had rolled onto his side towards Barbara and watched her sleep. Tonight’s pyjamas were blue with little white ducks on them. He grinned, imagining the fun they would have when it came time to decorate the nursery. He and Helen had never got that far. Unbidden, she popped up in his memory. While he would always regret her death and felt responsible for it, their marriage was doomed from the start. 

Helen had been insanely jealous of Barbara and their working relationship. She would fly into a rage if he was called back to work. Anytime they were sent out of London for a murder, it was a constant bombardment of phone calls demanding a blow by blow rundown of their entire day. He and Barbara had been in his hotel room one night discussing the case they were on, and unthinking she had answered his phone when Helen had rung. The jealous petulant teenager had made a return visit. Sometimes Tommy wondered if she ever left, and Helen had slept in the spare room for a week when he got home. 

He had constantly felt like he was walking on eggshells around Helen, never sure what was going to set her off. Why had he never realised before marrying her how useless she was? She had never held down a job. She went from living off her father’s money to living off his. Admittedly he was not a great cook, but he could manage whenever Denton took his annual holidays and feed himself. Helen had nearly burned his townhouse down the one time she tried to boil eggs.

Barbara could not be more different in both looks and personality. Helen was all cool elegance, but Barbara was a spitfire. She had never had any hesitation in giving him a piece of her mind, so he always knew where he stood with her. She also had no worries about laying into anyone who dared criticise him, that was her job. She was smart and intuitive but had a deep sense of responsibility to the families left behind. It was not uncommon for her to make a family member a cup of tea when they had to deliver bad news or even do the washing up on occasion. 

She had a wicked sense of humour and had often shocked him with her ribald jokes, to his amusement. She loved to tease him about his title and upbringing but never in a derogatory manner. At last count, he owed her over a thousand pounds from stupidly playing poker with her. Luckily it was only money on paper, she would not play for real money. Tommy never told her, but he donated the money he lost to dementia research in her mother’s name. 

Her confession had come as a shock, they had only made love that one time. Well, three times really but it was a surprise. He had been shocked of course but had not felt the sicking horror he had felt when Helen had told him the same news. I will keep you both safe he promised the woman beside him as sleep finally claimed him.

Barbara jerked awake, unsure of what had woken her. Her stomach was not rebelling yet. Dimly she became aware of a band of weight around her waist. Lifting the blankets, she was pleased to see Tommy’s arm curled over her waist, his large hand splayed over her stomach as if to protect their child. It made Barbara smile, even in his sleep Tommy was already protecting them. 

_Their child_ , bloody hell she could not help thinking. He had taken the news much better than Barbara had thought he would. She had at least had two weeks to absorb the news, she had just thrown it in Tommy’s face. He mumbled something in his sleep and snuggled closer. Barbara could not help thinking of how warm he was. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Tommy rolled over and opened his eyes, blearily realising the bed was empty. The room was only just starting to lighten as the sun rose. Unsure what had woken him, he laid there for a few minutes listening. From the hall bathroom, he could hear Barbara being violently ill. She had pulled the door to, but it had not closed. Feeling guilty, he climbed from the bed, dragged on his jeans from the floor and grabbed her dressing gown from behind the door. 

Walking down the short hall he easily found the bathroom and Barbara hunched over the toilet gasping for breath. She looked wretched and Tommy felt dreadful for her. Wordlessly he draped the dressing gown over her shoulders to her thankful smile that soon turned to a grimace as she was sick again. Grabbing a flannel from the shower, Tommy turned on the faucet and soaked it. Wringing out the excess water, he waited until Barbara straightened up and flushed the toilet before giving it to her to wash her face. 

“Thanks,” she said quietly giving him a sad little smile before she brushed her teeth.

“Can I do anything?” Tommy asked, feeling useless. Barbara shook her head.

“No, it just has to run its course according to the Doctor,” feeling like death warmed up Barbara headed back to bed. “It should settle down for a bit until I’m sick again,”

“Again!” Tommy exclaimed horrified as he tucked Barbara back into bed. She nodded.

“Yes, normally two or three times every damn morning. Why the hell would anyone do this more than once.” 

“How long will you be sick for?” he asked, crawling back under the covers on the other side. 

“It varies, could be a few weeks, could be the whole time. I’m hoping it is not for another six or seven months,” Tommy had to agree, he hated seeing her so wretched.

Tommy woke again as Barbara padded back to the bedroom. She looked miserable. Not saying a word, Tommy just held the covers up for her and she gratefully crawled back into bed. To Tommy’s delight, she cuddled up beside him. He had not expected this, but he was also not going to pass it up. Pulling the blankets up over her shoulders, he pulled her against him until her head was on his shoulder and his arm keeping her close.

“Better?” he asked softly, hoping she could get some more sleep. It had only just gone seven, far too early on a cold Saturday morning. 

“Hmmmm,” she murmured “You’re so warm,” Barbara could feel Tommy’s chuckle as it reverberated through his chest. His heart thumping in her ear.

“Glad to be of service my Lady, now try to get some more sleep,” he dropped a kiss onto Barbara’s hair and held her as she dropped off again. He watched her sleep for a while until he dropped off again too. 

Barbara woke a few hours later to a settled stomach and the sound of the shower running. She could not prevent her grin at the thought of Tommy trying to fit in her tiny shower. She was warm, content and the bedding smelt of Tommy, so she not in any hurry to get up, staying snuggled under the covers until she heard the shower shut off and a few minutes later a shivering Tommy scurried into her bedroom. 

“Your flat is freezing,” he gave her an annoyed glare as he scrubbed his hair dry on a towel to her laugh.

“I am not here long enough to worry about the heating but it warms up fast enough with the living room heater on,” Barbara threw back the covers, put on her slippers and hurried to the front room and switched on the fake fire in the fireplace. It had been an indulgence in her first winter in this flat, Tommy was right, it was freezing but the benefits of a small flat, it heated up quickly.

“Do you want breakfast?” she called out, heading into the kitchen, pulling open cupboards. They were depressingly bare. “I can do toast?” she did not miss Tommy’s snort of amusement at her offering. 

“I thought I would take you out for lunch somewhere?” he said, leaning against the door jamb dressed in his blue jeans and grey jumper, hair a mess and bare feet. “And I think we need to get you some food in,” he nodded towards the empty pantry.

“I am quite capable of doing my shopping,” Barbara replied, “I cannot see you traipsing through a Tesco with a list and a trolley,” Tommy just shrugged.

“I have done grocery shopping before; I am not incapable of looking after myself.” Barbara snorted at that. “I’m not!” Tommy defended himself with a laugh. “Go and get ready, I shall feed you!” she laughed at him but went back to her room and grabbed clothes for the day heading to the bathroom. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Lunch had been a lot of fun and as promised Tommy had helped Barbara fill her cupboards. It had turned into a bit of a squabble over who was going to pay at the end and the girl snatched Tommy’s card telling Barbara she may as well take his money while he’s offering, he’ll stop soon enough. 

“That’s a depressing thought,” Barbara said as they stowed the bags in the boot of the Bristol.

“What?” Tommy asked reversing out “That I will withhold financial support, it will not ever happen Barbara, I have told you that,” he headed towards Barbara’s flat. 

“No, not that. That girl was about, what twenty-two or so? Yet she is already so jaded about men. It makes you wonder why?” Tommy just nodded but he was miles away. 

They unpacked the car and put the groceries away and it was clear Tommy had things on his mind, which was not surprising. 

“You do not have to stay, go home if you need to. I will be fine,” Barbara told him. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Go! Honestly, I do not want you hovering over me for eight months,” he grinned realising he was being ridiculous. 

“Ring me if you want anything,” Tommy grabbed his bag, jacket and keys, kissed Barbara goodbye and left. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Saturday afternoon traffic was light, so Tommy was pulling into the garage in the mews behind his townhouse about half an hour later. Tommy let himself into the rear kitchen door and nearly ran into Denton walking out of the laundry room with an arm full of towels. 

“Sir,” he said unfazed however Tommy appeared not to hear him. “Lord Asherton,” again nothing even though Denton was standing right in front of him. Odd, Denton thought putting the towels on the kitchen centre island and stepped in front of Tommy.

“Oi!” he snapped his fingers right in Tommy’s face which seemed to pull him from his trance. “Are you alright?”

“Barbara’s pregnant,” distractedly Tommy told his valet, who typically did not react to the news at all. 

“Congratulations,” was all he said to Tommy’s confusion. “Well, it is yours I assume?” Tommy just nodded.

“You seem less surprised by the news than what I was,” Tommy confessed as Denton moved the towels and turned on the coffee maker.

“Honestly, it’s about time,” Denton replied, fussing around in the kitchen. 

“About time? What is that supposed to mean,” Tommy demanded and feeling rather vexed by the look his valet gave him. 

“Honestly Sir, you two have been dancing around each other for years,” before Tommy could deny that statement, Denton just shook his head “Do not even bother, we both know how you feel about her, I am not blind, Sir!” he grinned at the glare Tommy shot his way. 

“You are another one who never uses my damn name,” Tommy complained to Denton’s smirk as he put a mug of coffee in front of his employer, picked up the towels and left Tommy to his thoughts. 

Climbing the stairs to the master bedroom on the second floor, Denton could hardly contain his grin. He had been positive something had happened between Tommy and Barbara just before Christmas. He had seen her sneaking out very early one Saturday morning and Tommy had been wearing a shit-eating grin all day, so it did not take a genius to put two and two together. Then he had found a pair of red lace ladies underwear in the wash a few days later and it was cemented in his mind. 

A baby was unexpected, but it would force them to work out their differences for the child. After Helen had left Denton more than once had to get a very drunk Tommy to bed as he drowned his grief for his child and marriage in a scotch bottle. While he had always been unfailingly polite to his employer’s wife, Denton had never really liked Helen Clyde a great deal and after she had shattered Tommy’s heart, Denton was glad he had never seen the woman again. Of course, he was sorry she was dead, he did not wish that on her, but he was glad she was out of Tommy’s life.

Stacking the towels in the bathroom, Denton critically studied the room. There would be plenty of room to fit Barbara’s bits and pieces in the bathroom, it was the master bath after all so enough room for two. Denton started putting laundry away, critically assessing how much room he could free up.

“What are you doing?” Tommy asked from the doorway, nursing his coffee mug.

“Making space,” Denton replied as he disappeared into another wardrobe and started flinging clothes onto the bed. 

“Making space for what?” Tommy demanded, feeling the beginnings of a headache.

“A who actually,” Denton replied as if it was perfectly logical.

“Denton, I’m warning you,” Tommy said threateningly. Denton, of course, ignored him.

“Ms Havers of course. I assume she will be moving in?” Tommy rescued his favourite leather jacket from the pile on the bed. He knew Denton would not give away any of his clothes without his say so, but he was not taking any chances.

“I have not even asked her yet Denton, but yes I want her to move in,” Tommy admitted. “She only told me yesterday, we were talking about things last night.”

“Well, she will need room, unless you are going to put her in one of the spare rooms?” 

“No Denton, I am not putting her in a spare room, we will need those for the baby and a nanny. Do not look at me like that,” Tommy warned. “You have enough on to do as it is, and the baby is not due for months yet.” He flopped on the bed and started going through the clothes Denton had pulled out of the wardrobe. 

“Glad to hear it,” Denton replied, the smile in his voice clear.

“I take it you approve?” Tommy asked unnecessarily. “This is just between us. We have not told anyone else yet,”

“Well Sir,” Denton paused “If that is the case, I think you are finally thinking with the right head,” Tommy was glad he had finished his coffee, he would have choked on it with that comment.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked shocked. While he and Denton had a fairly relaxed working relationship, Denton was not normally that straight forward.

“You heard me. You and Ms Havers have been circling each other for years, long before Lady Helen came on the scene. It is about time you stopped thinking so much and acted.” Denton finally pulled his head out of the wardrobe and turned to face Tommy; his arms crossed over his chest. “She is good for you; keeps you grounded and challenges you. You need that in your life,” 

“Is that so?” Tommy asked, curious about Denton’s logic.

“Yes. You grew up with a privileged upbringing, too many people intimidated by the Lord Asherton title and the inheritance,” Tommy nodded agreeing. “Ms Havers does not care one bit for either. She is far more interested in how you do your job and your closure rate.”

“I hate it when you are right!” Tommy complained to Denton’s laugh.

“You should be used to it by now,” he picked up an armful of the clothes.

“Keep anything in that lot you want,” Tommy told him, kicking off his shoes. “Wake me for dinner would you?”

“Yes, my Lord,” Denton said, disappearing behind the door as Tommy’s shoe thunked against it to his laughter.

Tommy lay back on the bed, hands behind his head thinking. Of course, it made more sense for Barbara to move in here. He had four bedrooms so plenty of room for a baby and a live-in nanny if Barbara wanted one. He was not sure if she wanted to go back to work or resign and stay at home with the baby, they had not discussed that yet, but either way, she would not have to do it alone.

Helen had wanted the nursery on the top floor, so they had added a second bathroom and built-ins for the baby and nanny. It made sense but he would have to discuss it with Barbara. Does she even have a second bedroom? Tommy wondered, thinking where a child would fit in her tiny flat. However, he knew her well enough by now she would dig her feet in if she thought he was telling her what to do.

One thing Tommy knew without a doubt was that they could argue, like an old married couple as Nkata often accused them of being. He would just sit back and watch them both eventually come to the same conclusion, just take the long way to do it.

That brought up another issue they would have to face, and soon. Telling Hillier. It was a protocol that when two officers became involved, they had to report to their senior officer and advise them of the relationship. Tommy could see the logic in it, but he was none too happy about having to face up to Hillier and admit he and Barbara were seeing each other. The whole of the Met had assumed they had been sleeping together for years. 

Tommy had faced a two-week suspension a couple of years ago when he had hit a fellow officer when he had made a foul derogatory comment about Barbara. He had just managed to hold Barbara back as she was about to lay into him herself, when he had smirked and commented, in front of their colleagues, that she would be a wild cat in bed. Tommy had not even hesitated, just let fly and broke the man’s nose. 

It had been extremely satisfying, and he had willingly accepted the suspension. He had heard upon his return the officer had been transferred out of the Met. It seemed that their colleagues had stood up for both Tommy and Barbara. He grinned at the memory. She was a wild cat, and he loved it about her. 

The fact remained that they were going to have to face Hillier and not only admit they were seeing each other but that Barbara was carrying his child. He and Hillier had never got along so Tommy could just imagine how that conversation was going to go, not well.

Tommy’s last thought before sleep claimed him was being raked over the coals by Hillier. It was not a pleasant thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has read and commented on this little story of mine, it means a lot and has inspired me to work on it as my NaNo project so 20K words in a month, hold on for the ride.  
> Hugs to all


	10. Barbara has her eight week scan and the results are unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara and Tommy go for her eight-week scan and the results are unexpected.
> 
> I've never had an ultrasound so winging it, any corrections more than welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667600067/in/dateposted-public/)

Barbara and Tommy had always had a close working relationship, so seeing Barbara in and out of Tommy’s office was nothing that unusual. They were assisting on another murder, thankfully not child this time. It was all boring background checks and paperwork, but honestly, Barbara was very glad it of that was all they were doing. The morning sickness was getting better, but it still flared up on occasion. Barbara had been late in this morning, blaming traffic but she had slept in and catching sight of herself in the mirror, she had to apply some makeup, the black circles under her eyes signified how badly she had had been sleeping.

They had gone out for a few drinks after work for Winston’s birthday, thankfully she had been able to use the excuse she had the car for not drinking and had ended up playing taxi to a couple of her colleagues, Tommy included.

“You have been distracted all day, are you alright?” Barbara asked, finding a parking spot out the front of his townhouse, a miracle in itself, and turning to face Tommy. 

“What?” Tommy questioned, “Sorry I have been thinking. Do you want to come in?” he asked, nodding towards the house. “I will not keep you for long,” nodding Barbara climbed out of her mini, locked it, not that she thought anyone in this neighbourhood would want it, and followed Tommy to the front door.

He unlocked the door and ushered Barbara inside to her happy sigh. He grinned at her reaction to the warmth of the house. Denton would have turned the heating on a few hours ago, so the house was toasty warm.

“Hello Sir, Ms Havers,” Denton greeted them as he walked down the stairs. “How are you this evening?” 

“I’m fine Denton, how are you?” Barbara asked, shrugging out of her coat which Denton quickly relieved from her, hanging it in the front hall closest. He hung Tommy’s over the bottom stair rail to take upstairs later. 

“Fine, would you care for a coffee?” catching the grimace that flashed across Barbara’s face, and not letting on he knew of her pregnancy he quickly amended “Yes indeed, it is a little late for coffee, tea perhaps?”

“Do you have any of that lapsing son tea?” Barbara asked to Tommy’s laugh.

“It’s pronounced Lapsang Souchong and yes, we have a whole canister of it, Denton orders it in, just for you,” Tommy told Barbara to Denton’s glare. 

“I will bring your tea up to the drawing-room Ms Havers,” he turned on his heel, and with a huff, headed downstairs to the kitchen.

“I am in trouble now,” Tommy admitted, putting his hand on Barbara’s elbow and directing her over to the stairs. “Upstairs, Denton will be along shortly,” climbing to the top of the stairs, Tommy directed her to turn back again and pushed open the double doors to the sitting room.

“Sir, it’s beautiful,” Barbara gasped as she walked into the beautifully decorated room. Dazed, she slowly looked around, staring in surprise.

“What did I tell you about my name?” Tommy leaned down and whispered in her ear, to Barbara’s shudder.

“Sorry, Tommy. It just takes a little getting used to but this,” she cast her hand around the room, “It’s stunning.”

“You have seen it before, haven’t you?” Tommy questioned, holding the door open for Denton, who carefully put the tea tray on the low coffee table and silently withdrew, closing the door behind him.

“No, only downstairs, the entrance part,” she vaguely replied wandering around the room. It was decorated with dark timber and glass furniture with a fire burning in the grate. Long curtains were drawn to keep the warmth in and a pop of orange and red added colour to the room.

“Let me show you the rest of it then,” Tommy held his hand out and after a minute’s hesitation, Barbara slipped her hand into his.

Tommy was silently thanking the universe or whoever wanted to listen. Barbara had just given him the perfect opportunity to bring up what had him preoccupied all day. He wanted Barbara to move in here, it made far more sense. He had more than enough room for her and a baby and it was much closer to the Met than Chalk Farm.

“Let’s start at the top?” he said leading Barbara upstairs to the top floor.

“How big is this place?” Barbara asked laughing as they kept climbing.

“Including the lower ground?” Tommy asked laughing “Six floors,”

“Six floors!” Barbara gasped shocked, doing a mental calculation of what six floors in Eaton Terrace would be worth, it was a mind-boggling figure.

Tommy just shrugged as they reached the top floor. The stairways were all lined with motion sensors so they lit up so they could see the way as they climbed. Tommy walked straight ahead and opening a door, flicked on the light.

“Bedroom four with en-suite,” Tommy said, “Overlooking Eaton Terrace,” the room was simply furnished with a double bed and a row of mirrored built-ins along one wall. Walking back to the landing he opened a second door “bedroom three, overlooking the yard,” again it had an en-suite and built-ins. 

Taking her hand Tommy led her down a floor, it was similar to upstairs however the front room was larger with a full bath. The back room was full of built-in cupboards, storage for the upper rooms by the look of them as they were full of bedding and towels.

“You do know the top two floors of your house are bigger than my entire flat?” Barbara said laughing.

“Come on, let me show you my floor,” he tugged her hand and they descended another floor.

“Your floor?” Barbara asked puzzled until Tommy opened the door and ushered her into the most beautiful bedroom she had ever seen. It was like a fancy hotel room. Tommy just stood back and let her have a look around. “Your bathroom is bigger than mine, that is not fair,” Barbara’s voice echoed around the room, her amusement clear. Walking to the doorway, Tommy grinned at his partner as she shamelessly snooped around his bathroom. “Sorry,” she said when she saw him watching.

“Don’t be,” taking a deep breath Tommy hurried on “I was thinking, you should move in with me,”

“Pardon?” Barbara questioned; sure, she had misheard him.

“Move in with me,” Tommy put his hand out “Come on, let’s go have our tea and discuss it,” shoving past him with a glare, Tommy was not so sure this was going to go how he wanted it to. 

Walking into the drawing-room a few minutes later Tommy found Barbara pacing the room. He poured them tea, smiling at the mugs Denton had set out. He knew Tommy hated those delicate little teacups.

“I am not a bloody charity case,” Barbara turned on him, fury etched across her face.

“I never thought you were,” he poured their tea.

“Really?” she snapped “I am more than capable of looking after myself.”

“So I’m not supposed to have any say, is that it?” Tommy demanded. “I have already told you that is not going to happen,”

“And I do not want this broadcast around the whole damn Met. You know damn well that they gossip about us enough as it is, cannot accept we haven’t been fucking each other for years,” Tommy winced at the crudeness of her reply.

“So what are you going to tell everyone?” Tommy demanded, “That it was the immaculate conception?”

“I do not intend to tell them anything,” Barbara yelled in reply, trying to ignore the hurt look that flashed across Tommy’s face. “It is none of their business.” 

“We will have to tell them fairly soon,” Tommy told her, trying to stamp down on his hurt “We have to inform Hillier,”

“The hell we do,” Barbara gasped horrified but Tommy just nodded.

“Yes we do,” Tommy snapped back “When two colleagues start a relationship, they have to advise the higher-ups,”

“We are not in a relationship,” Barbara replied, sounding horrified by the thought, which hurt more than Tommy would have thought.

“Whatever you want to call it, you are carrying my child,” he snapped back, trying to get his temper under control. 

“You don’t need to remind me and keep your bloody voice down, I do not want Denton knowing,” Barbara made sure the door was shut, she doubted Denton could hear her from downstairs but she did not want to take the chance.

Tommy buried his fingers in his hair, pulling on the strands in frustration. He was just very glad he had not blurted out that Denton already knew, it would have set Barbara’s temper off.

“Do I need legal intervention,” Tommy asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. It broke his heart it would come to that.

“What, to force me to move in with you?” Barbara asked, a little puzzled.

“No,” finally Tommy looked at her, “so I can see my child?” that took the wind out of Barbara’s sails. Walking over she put her hand on his arm, making him look at her. She could handle his temper and throw it right back at him, but that kicked puppy look, she never could handle that and even more so when she was the cause of it.

“Tommy no, I would never do that,” Barbara tugged him over to the lounge and made him sit, “I’m sorry, this is all just,” she paused, picking up her tea. It was lukewarm by now but she needed to get her thoughts straight “So overwhelming and then you just casually drop that you want me to move in here and, I’m sorry I overreacted.”

“We need to work it out Barbara, legally. It would be best to do it while we are on speaking terms, know where each of us stands before it all turns to hell,” 

“Do you think it will turn to shit?” she asked.

“You have had a ringside seat for all my romantic disasters. I always hurt the people I…” Tommy paused, swiftly changing what he was about to say, “Care about,” he lamely finished. 

Tommy desperately wanted to tell Barbara he loved her, he wanted to yell it from the rooftop. He wanted to get down on one knee and ask her to marry him, move in here raise the baby, maybe have one more. He wanted it all. However, it appeared he was alone in that wish so he kept quiet.

“I would never keep you from your child, even if it does not work between us but you will be an amazing father,” Barbara promised, ashamed she had hurt him so badly. It was not an unexpected request, that they lived together.

“I should not have just dropped it on you like that but you seemed so, happy I guess I did not think. I am sorry,” he sipped the tea and grimaced, it was cold.

“Your home is beautiful Tommy, there is no doubt about it. I could just stay over, see how that goes?” Barbara asked, feeling like a schoolgirl having a sleepover at a friend’s house. Not that she ever did that as a girl either as she did not any friends to ask to a sleepover.

“You are always more than welcome to stay. I will get you a key cut. I’ll ask Denton to make some room for you.” Tommy stood “Now if you are leaving you had best get going, it is getting late. Ring me when you get home,” 

Barbara nodded, feeling drained from their argument but at least at this time of night it should only be about half an hour to get home.

A little over half an hour later Tommy’s mobile rang, he reached over to grab it off the nightstand.

“Lynley,” he answered it and smiled as Barbara told him she was home.

“What are you doing on Friday at eleven?” she asked, sounding a little nervous.

“No idea, what am I doing at eleven on Friday?” Tommy asked getting comfortable against the pillows.

“I have my first scan scheduled. I mean, if you want to be there?” she asked feeling nervous. “The letter was here when I got home,”

“Of course I will be there,” Tommy assured her. “I will take you to lunch afterwards. Now get some sleep, it is late.”

“Night Tommy,” Barbara said and rang off, flopping back onto the bed. “We have to sort out how to live together,” she told the empty room. Hoping they could make this work, for their child’s sake. Tugging up her pyjama top Barbara stared at her belly. It was starting to show, still not huge but soon she would not be able to hide it and Tommy was right, they would have to start telling people. 

She was dreading that, not telling them that she was pregnant that would be obvious soon enough, but the inevitable questions that their announcement would bring from Tommy’s family, friends and their colleagues. 

“Tomorrow is another day,” Barbara said as she clicked off the light.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

The rest of the week flew by uneventfully. Police work was nowhere near as exciting as what was seen on television. It was mind-numbingly boring most of the time. Tommy had taken Barbara out to a new restaurant that had opened a few months ago on Wednesday night, to apologise for their argument and had given her two keys on a blue ribbon. Front door and garage in the mews which also opens the kitchen door, he had explained.

They had come to a compromise that they would stay at each other’s place or alone if they wanted, no expectations. Both had agreed they needed to talk about where they were headed. Tommy had no doubt it would not be easy, both of them were hot-headed, but he was determined to make it work. He had too much to lose.

A little after ten on Friday morning, Barbara stuck her head around Tommy’s door and knocked lightly. He looked up.

“I’m heading off, it’s about twenty minutes if we are lucky. Are you still coming with me?” Barbara asked. She knew she had been a little more snappy than usual, for once her prickly reputation came in handy as her colleagues were giving her a wide berth which suited Barbara just fine. 

“I told you I would be there,” Tommy switched off his computer and snatched his jacket from the back of his chair. “Let’s go.” The one benefit of being partnered with Lynley, no one asked them where they were going.

Twenty minutes later Tommy pulled into the underground car park of the medical suites they were looking for. Catching the lift to the second floor they walked into chaos. Barbara let the receptionist know they were here for her eight-week scan to have a clipboard thrust at her, brusquely told to fill it in and take a seat.

Barbara filled in what she could then handed the form to Tommy for the rest of it. He hid his date of birth with his hand telling her no peaking, which was ridiculous she knew exactly how old he was. Tommy’s fortieth was fast approaching.

With nothing else to do Tommy started people watching and making comments to Barbara to her amusement.

“Will you be quiet,” she demanded, laughing at his dry sense of humour.

“I’m bored,” he whined, sounding far too similar to the tied cranky toddler sitting with his frazzled mother. 

“Ya first ain’t it,” a woman sitting beside Tommy asked.

“Yes,” he replied, “How did you know?”

“You are here with your woman, that only happens with the first one. I got three at home, none of their daddies came to no scan,” it was clear by the size of her belly, she was not far off having her forth.

“Ms Havers,” one of the nurses called and Barbara and Tommy both got to their feet, glad to be seen, and followed her down a hallway to a small single room. 

“Please disrobe, leave your underwear on, put on the gown on the bed and I will be back shortly.” The nurse asked and left them alone.

“Do you want me to wait outside?” Tommy asked. They may be having a child, but Tommy was all too aware of the fact they had only spent that one night together. Barbara nodded. Tommy let himself out of the room and waited, trying not to look too out of place. 

“You can come in,” Barbara said as she cracked open the door. Tommy could not help his grin at the ugly faded green gown she was wearing “Be quiet you!” she growled but could not hide her grin. 

“Up onto the table please Ms Havers,” the nurse asked when she returned. “First baby I see, well let’s see what we have then.” She asked them names and dates of birth and a few other medical questions. “You filled in date of conception?” she looked from one to the other a little surprised.

“Yes,” Tommy said with a laugh “We know exactly when it happened. Work Christmas party,” he told the nurse to her smile.

“Ah yes, we have a lot of unexpected Christmas babies. Why do you think so many people are born in September?” 

“I had not thought about it,” Tommy replied, walking around the other side of the bed to get out of the nurse's way as she pulled a complicated looking machine closer and draped a blanket across Barbara’s legs and tugged the gown up, baring her stomach.

Tommy could not stop staring. It was not much of a bump yet but that was his child, his and Barbara’s baby was starting to make its presence known. It was amazing. Leaning down he lightly kissed her forehead. Grinning up at him, Barbara reached for his hand and squeezed. 

“Enough of that you two lovebirds,” the nurse said grinning “That’s how you got into this predicament. Now let’s have a look,” she squirted some gel onto Barbara’s stomach to her shocked gasp.

“That’s cold!” she complained to Tommy’s chuckle. “Shush you,”

“Will we be able to hear a heartbeat?” Tommy asked unable to hide his excitement. Helen had never wanted him at any of her scans.

“Not yet, maybe at the next scan but we will see.” The nurse pressed down on Barbara’s belly. It was not painful as such but a little uncomfortable.

“Ah, there we are,” the nurse said sounding pleased as she tilted the screen so they could both see it “Now if we move the camera upwards we should see the baby,” as she did so an image slowly materialised on the screen. 

The nurse looked from the screen to Barbara’s belly and back to the screen. She looked concerned, although she was trying to hide it.

“What’s wrong?” Barbara demanded panicked; she had also picked up on the look on the nurse’s face. 

“Nothing wrong as such, just a bit of a surprise.” She turned the monitor and pointed to the screen where two images were clearly visible.

“You’re having twins,” she told a shocked Barbara and Tommy.


	11. Tommy and Barbara tell Hillier she is pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Barbara tell Assistant Commissioner Hillier she is pregnant. He is not happy with their news, however, their colleagues are delighted for them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776658/in/dateposted-public/)

“Twins!” Barbara had gasped, shocked, staring in panic at the screen. Sure enough, there were two blobs, two babies. “Oh, fuck!” she had blurted to Tommy’s total agreement. 

She had not been able to take her eyes off the ultrasound scan the nurse had given them once she had finished. Barbara had dressed, and they had left in silence.

Tommy and Barbara had driven back to Eaton Terrace in silence after the bombshell the nurse had just dropped on them. Tommy pulled into the mews garage behind his townhouse and shut off the engine. Wordlessly, Tommy climbed out of the Bristol and walked around to open Barbara’s door. 

“This way,” he said, unlocking a door at the front of the garage. Lights automatically turned on as they passed. Tommy unlocked a second door and ushered Barbara into the kitchen.

“Hello Sir, Ms Havers,” Denton greeted them from the breakfast table. “Are you alright?” he asked, concerned by the shell-shocked looks on their faces. Gently pushing Barbara down into the padded bench seat that ran along one wall, Denton did the same to Tommy and went to put the kettle on.

“Sir, you are worrying me, what is wrong?” Denton did not know if Tommy had told Barbara that he had let slip their news, so he kept quiet about the pregnancy.

“We have some news for you, Denton, and well it has rather thrown us for a loop,” Tommy admitted, gratefully taking the mug of tea Denton put in front of him.

“I’m pregnant,” Barbara admitted, wrapping her hands around her mug.

“That’s wonderful news, congratulations,” Denton told the pair, genuinely pleased for them.

“It’s twins,” Tommy told his butler to Denton’s surprise.

“Well double congratulations then.” 

“You are taking this far more calmly than we are,” Barbara admitted, “I still cannot believe it,”

“Sit down,” Tommy ordered, not in the mood for Denton hovering over them.

“Twins are just twice the fun,” Denton replied, taking a seat on the other side of the table. “There are eight sets in my family,”

“EIGHT!” Tommy stared at his butler in shock, “eight sets of twins,” Denton nodded.

“Yes, my mother had two sets, an aunt had two, an uncle had three and both my grandparents were a twin and my brother’s wife just had twins.” Denton ticked them off on his fingers.

“There are none in my family that I know of,” Tommy told them, and Barbara admitted there were none in her family either. 

“No matter, you’ll have Uncle Charlie here to help out,” Denton said, looking quite pleased with himself to Tommy’s chuckle.

“I suspect we are going to need it. I am not sure I can do this on my own,” Barbara admitted for the first time. “I am terrified,” Tommy slipped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him. 

“We can do this; you are not alone.” Tommy kissed her temple to Denton’s grin.

“That is correct, you are not alone, Ms Havers, I promise you,” Barbara found herself warming to Tommy’s butler. 

“You have to make me one promise though,” at Denton’s nod Barbara said sternly, “My name is Barbara, you have to use it.” Tommy snorted in laughter.

“Give up, I have been asking him that for the last eleven years. He is another one who thinks I was christened _Sir_!” Tommy said, giving Barbara a pointed look.

“Very well Barbara,” Denton replied, staring right at Tommy in defiance “However, I will only use it in private,” 

“Oh, I give up,” Tommy sighed in acceptance to their laughter. 

“I will clear some space for you,” he leaned over to whisper conspiratorially “Lord Asherton has far too many clothes that he does not wear, time for a clean-out,”

Barbara could not help her snort of laughter at Tommy’s indignant squawk at Denton’s comment, whether the Lord part or too many clothes she was not sure.

“Thank you Denton, I would appreciate that. I do not have half the clothes Sir does,” 

“You are as bad as he is,” Tommy said pointing to Denton “I will leave you to talk about me. I will be back shortly,” with that Tommy left the kitchen to their laughter. 

“I am delighted for you both and I will do everything I can to help. I have had plenty of experience dealing with babies,” Denton told her. 

“Thank you. I have been panicking about it for weeks, but this, well it is getting very real. My emotions are all over the place and I snap for no reason.” Barbara tried to explain.

“Do not worry about that. I’m used to emotional pregnant women, three sisters,” he explained to her quizzical look. “I am one of seven children. Three girls and four boys.” 

“So how long have you worked for Tommy?” Barbara asked as Denton pottered around the kitchen and made them another pot of tea.

“Just over eleven years,” Denton replied carrying the tea over and pulling a tin from a cupboard. Pulling the lid off he revealed what appeared to be homemade biscuits.

“That’s a long time,” Barbara said helping herself to one.

“Yes, I was a naïve twenty-two-year-old when I first came to London. I had just finished Butler School, and I was determined to work in one of the grand houses of London.” He admitted with a slight blush “My family thought I was mad, but I never wanted to be a farmer like my Dad. I grew upon period dramas and re-runs of _Upstairs Downstairs_.”

“So how did you end up working for Tommy,” Barbara asked curiously. She had never met a real butler before now. “I will admit I only thought butlers, and the like only existed on television shows.”

“An ad in the newspaper. I queued up from six in the morning so I would be seen first. I was sure I had blown it, but I got a second call a few days later. It was only Master Tommy this time.”

“You had blown it,” Tommy said returning to the kitchen. He had had a shower as he was now wearing jeans and a jumper and his hair was wet “Mr Brown was not keen on you at all. A young upstart I believe he called you.” Tommy grabbed a mug from the sink and helped himself a cup of tea. 

“Mr Brown?” Barbara asked confused.

“He was my father’s man, and he stayed on after my father died. We did not get on at all. As soon as I graduated from Oxford and started at the Police, he told me I was disrespecting my station and that my father would have been disappointed with me lowering myself to the level of that riff-raff.” Barbara was horrified on Tommy’s behalf “All the other butlers had far more experience but well, Denton and I were both embarking on brand new careers, I thought he needed a chance.” Tommy admitted looking a little embarrassed by his admission.

“You are just a softie aren’t you?” Barbara teased to Denton’s grin.

“Come on, let’s go make some space for you,” Tommy held his hand out, helped Barbara out of the booth, leaving his butler grinning his damn fool head off. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Tommy had convinced Barbara over the weekend that they would have to advise Hillier that she was pregnant. Neither was happy about it but unfortunately, it was regulations. It would be better to do it sooner rather than later and both wanted it done before Barbara was showing. Tommy wanted to tell their colleagues before Hillier had a chance to, Barbara had scoffed, not believing the Assistant Commissioner would care one way or the other. Tommy was not so sure about that. He and Hillier did not have a good working relationship and Tommy had no doubt the older man would do whatever he could to discredit him.

He had rung Hillier’s secretary Dorothea Harriman early on Monday morning and requested an appointment as soon as possible and letting her know both he and DS Havers would be in attendance. 

“I am sorry Detective Inspector Lynley, but the earliest I can fit you and Detective Sergeant Havers in to see Assistant Commissioner Hillier is at eleven on Wednesday. Would that suit you and Detective Sergeant Havers?” Tommy could not help thinking yet again the woman would save so much time if she did not insist on using everyone’s full title every single time she spoke to them.

Refusing to be drawn on the reason for the meeting Tommy agreed to the meeting time and rang off. There was no way he was going to tell the Mets biggest gossip what their meeting was about, no matter how much she tried to get it out of him. Tommy knew damn well Hillier did not need to know what the meeting was about, that was just Dorothea snooping.

Assistant Commissioner David Hillier kept them waiting for nearly twenty minutes to Tommy’s growing fury. He had no doubt Hillier did it deliberately, but Tommy knew he had to control his temper.

“Please come in Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Havers. Assistant Commissioner Hillier will see you now.” Dorothea finally ushered them into Hillier’s office. “Assistant Commissioner Hillier…” 

“Yes Dorothea, thank you” Hillier interrupted before she could continue with the lengthy unnecessary introductions. Annoyed by having her introductions cut short, Dorothea gave him a withering glare and exited his office, closing the door behind her.

“Well this is rather unexpected,” Hillier said, sitting behind his desk, his hands clasped over his stomach as he studied them. “Neither of you has ever willingly come to my office before so I am more than a little perplexed as to why you would do so now.”

“We are here to report a change in our working partnership,” Tommy advised, trying to remain civil.

“Are you requesting a new partner Lynley?” Hillier asked, “Well that is not unexpected, you have lasted longer than anyone expected.” He never even looked at Barbara, which did not surprise her at all.

Tommy was furious and was tempted to tell the man what he could do with his bloody job however he was not going to give his senior officer the satisfaction.

“Yes, I will require a new partner and I am requesting Winston Nkata,” Tommy reached over and took Barbara’s hand in his, he was not sure who was more shocked, her or Hillier “Barbara is carrying our child so according to regulations we are informing you of our relationship,” 

“You cannot be serious Lynley,” Hillier snapped “If you think this is funny in the slightest, I can assure you it is not. It is in extremely poor taste.” 

Barbara did not bother defending herself to this pig of a man. He had it in for her since she first joined the Met, and everyone knew he had partnered her with Lynley to try to get rid of both of them. He would be seething with how his nasty little plan had backfired. Pulling a letter from her pocket Barbara tossed it on the desk, not caring about the angry glare Hillier shot her way.

“What is that?” he asked without making any effort to read the letter.

“Letter from my Doctor, advising the Met of my pregnancy and anticipated date of leave. That is your copy, I have already sent one to the personnel department.” By Hillier’s glare, he knew he had been cornered. There was nothing he could do except acknowledge their request. However, he had not finished with these two yet. 

“Well, I must admit I am shocked by this unexpected turn of events.” Tommy did not like that malicious smirk that crossed Hillier’s features “I would have thought you would have been far more careful Lynley. Rather irresponsible on your part, don’t you think?” Tommy was on his feet, anger rippling through his body at Hillier’s not-so-subtle insult. 

“Not in the slightest,” he snarled at Hillier, beyond caring about his career at this point “Barbara having my child is probably the smartest thing I have ever done.”

“Do not sell yourself short Lynley, you are far smarter than that,” Hillier replied, poking at Lynley, clearly trying to get him to react. 

“Come on, he is not worth it,” Barbara grabbed Tommy’s arm. The way those two were antagonising each other, she would not be surprised if they started throwing punches. Even though Hillier was way out of line, it would be Lynley whose career would suffer, and Barbara would not be responsible for it.

Tommy nearly pulled the door off its hinges he opened it so violently, not saying a word as he strode out of the outer office, Barbara close behind him, and punched the lift call button. He was struggling to keep his temper under control.

Tommy had known that the meeting would not go well, however, he had not expected such animosity from his senior officer. Never breaking eye contact Hillier leaned down and said something to his secretary. By the way, her eyes widened, and she looked up at Tommy and Barbara, shock was written clearly across her face, Tommy had no doubt Hillier had just told his secretary about Barbara’s pregnancy. 

Taking one furious step in Hillier’s direction, Barbara grabbed Tommy’s arm and forcibly dragged him into the lift which had just arrived. The last thing she wanted right now was for Tommy to be up on assault of a senior officer charges, not that Hillier did not deserve it.

“He is just trying to get under your skin, ignore him,” Barbara ordered, doubtful it would do any good.

“I know that Havers,” Tommy snapped but rubbed his hands over his face, frustration clear “I am sorry, he just gets under my skin. You know he just told Dorothea our news which means everyone will know by this afternoon.”

“I think we should beat him to it,” Barbara said giving Tommy an evil smirk.

“Oh?” Tommy asked, always up for getting one over Hillier “What did you have in mind?”

“Announce it to our colleagues when we get back to our floor,” Barbara boldly suggested to Tommy’s light chuckle.

“It would take the wind out of Hillier’s sails, but are you sure? You wanted to wait until you had reached twelve weeks?” Tommy glanced at the buttons, they had one floor to decide.

“Yes, announce it,” Barbara said, grinning at the mayhem they were about to release on their colleagues. Tommy grinned in return, loving her wicked sense of mischief. He had no doubt life with Barbara Havers would never be boring. 

Stepping out of the lift, Tommy walked around the corner and weaved his way through their colleagues to the far end of the room. No one paid them a great deal of attention so he was sure the news had not filtered down just yet but he doubted it would take too long. Dorothea Harriman was a notorious gossip.

“Are you ready?” Tommy quietly asked Barbara to her nod. Giving her a reassuring smile he took her hand in hers.

“Could I have everyone’s attention for a moment please?” Tommy called out, the unquestionable authority in his voice clear. The hum of noise quietened as their colleagues all turned to look at them. “Barbara and I have just been to see Hillier, but I wanted to tell you our news before the gossip mill does. I have requested a new partner,” that started up some murmuring but Tommy continued “For the happiest of reasons I can assure you,” Tommy tugged Barbara a little closer and proudly announced “Barbara is carrying our child,”

The room erupted in cheers and well wishes as they were surrounded by their colleagues, every one congratulating them at once. Barbara was enveloped in hugs and Tommy had stopped counting the handshakes and back slaps to their announcement.

“Well, whose a black sheep then,” Winston hugged Barbara and shook Tommy’s hand “Not drinking hey?” he asked, grinning at them catching onto why Barbara had been avoiding alcohol lately. 

“Well you are partially responsible,” Tommy informed his Detective Constable to his spluttered indignation.

“Now hang on there Sir, I don’t see how I’m responsible,” he stammered to Barbara’s chuckle.

“No? You are the one who got us under the mistletoe at the Christmas party,” Barbara told him to her slight blush. 

“Ah!” Winston did some quick calculations “a Christmas baby is it,” he smirked to Tommy’s chuckle.

“Something like that, now come on we have work to do.” Tommy ushered them both into his office and shut the door. “I’ve requested Hillier partner you with me,” Tommy told Winston “unfortunately rules state Barbara will be taken off active duty in a few months so I want the three of us to start to learn to work together,”


	12. Tommy and Barbara tell their colleagues their news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Barbara tell their colleagues their news to their delight and Winston Nkata is promoted to Tommy's new partner.
> 
> This chapter is NSFW so you have been warned! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776608/in/dateposted-public/)  
> 

Barbara had been stunned by the level of support she had received from their colleagues when Tommy had revealed their news. It had taken a good half an hour for everyone to get back to work. Her inbox had exploded with further congratulations as the news quickly circulated. 

She had spent over an hour in Tommy’s office with Winston Nkata as they discussed how the three of them would work together and who would deal with what aspect of the cases. Tommy had received notification from Dorothea on Hillier’s behalf saying he had approved Winston working with Tommy while Barbara was indisposed.

“I appreciate the opportunity to work with you, Sir. I will not let you down,” Winston told Tommy seriously. He was well aware of the chance he had just been handed and he was not going to blow it “I will be guided by you both.”

“You will do well Winston, you mostly follow orders, unlike some,” Tommy said to Barbara’s glare. He had no doubt he would pay for that dig later.

“Well, I will leave you two lovebirds alone, I have some backgrounds to go snooping around in,” Winston waved his notebook at them and left, closing the door behind him. 

“Unlike some?” Barbara tapped her pen on her notebook, “You’ll keep!” she warned to Tommy’s chuckle. By the time six came around they had pinned down some huge holes in the case which they could chase up tomorrow.

“Are you staying?” Tommy asked, not wanting to push too hard. Barbara’s emotions were a bit too close to the surface right now. So far Barbara had moved a few of her things into his townhouse, but she was still commuting between Eaton Terrace and Chalk Farm.

“Thanks, I cannot be bothered driving back to my place tonight. I will follow you.” They grabbed coats and scarves and headed down to the underground car park to their separate cars. Even with heavy London traffic, they were pulling into the garage behind the townhouse twenty minutes later. Tommy pulled in first, parking to the far right side of the garage so Barbara’s mini easily fitted beside it.

Walking into the kitchen, they were assaulted by the most delicious smells.

“What are you making Denton, that smells amazing,” Barbara asked to his smile.

“Hello Ms Havers, Sir.” Denton lifted the lid off what was simmering on the stovetop “Seafood paella, I hope you like seafood.” Barbara nodded.

“That,” Tommy said, nodding to the pan on the stove “is why Denton is so grossly overpaid, he is an amazing cook.”

“It still has about ten minutes before it is ready. Why don’t you go and freshen up?” Denton suggested stirring the paella. 

Walking out of the same door they just walked in, they climbed to the ground floor where Tommy stopped and checked the pile of mail on the hall table. Flicking through the envelopes he noted one with a Nanrunnel postmark, Tommy turned the envelope open and slit the seal and pulled out a beautifully embossed invitation.

“Are you ready to face my family in full force?” Tommy asked, handing Barbara the invitation, “My mother’s sixty-fifth birthday dinner is next month.” 

“Tommy, I don’t know,” she said feeling overwhelmed by the very thought of facing his whole family. They had always accepted her as Tommy’s colleague, but as his, what even was she. Girlfriend? Partner? What? 

“Barbara you cannot avoid them forever, they will find out about the babies soon enough.” She followed him up to his bedroom, not even thinking twice about following him inside, ready to continue her argument.

“I know that, but I would prefer not to ruin your mother’s birthday dinner,” she dropped down onto the bed as he attacked the knot in his tie. Dragging it off, he hung it in the wardrobe and along with his suit jacket. Barbara could not help thinking how oddly normal this all was.

“You are not going to ruin Mother’s dinner, you have been to Howenstow before,”

“As your guest,” Barbara tried to get him to see it from her point of view. “Not as, whatever the hell I am now,” unable to stand still, Barbara started pacing, more than a little irritated to realise it took her longer to pace Tommy’s bedroom than it did her flat.

“What do you want to be?” Tommy asked hesitantly. Barbara had always had a hair-trigger temper but since she had been pregnant, it was even more volatile however he wanted to get this sorted out as well. It was playing on his mind.

“What do you mean by that?” Barbara demanded and tried to ignore the fact that Tommy’s blue dress shirt hung open and was untucked from his trousers. 

“What do you want us to be? Partners sound like work colleagues, which we have been for ten years. Girlfriend and boyfriend sounds childish, so tell me, Barbara, what do you want me to call you? Life partner? Fiancé? Wife? You tell me?” Tommy shrugged out of his shirt and tossed it in the linen hamper. 

“Wife!” she stammered shocked, sinking back onto the bed as Tommy dragged a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from the built-in drawers and walked into the bathroom, calling out through the open door.

“Yes, Barbara, wife. You’re carrying my child, I would like to legalise our union, but I know we have to work out the rest of our relationship before we take that step,” he stepped out of the bathroom “Now I don’t know about you but I am starving so can we talk about this over dinner?” Tommy put his hand out, hoping he had not put his foot in it, but she eventually looked up at him and slipped her hand into his.

Walking into the dining room Tommy found two places set and their dinner waiting under a cover to keep it warm as well as a jug of iced water with what looked like lemons floating in it. Holding her seat for her as Barbara sat and lifted the lid to inhale the fragrant steam that rose from the dish.

“Oh, that smells divine,” she waited for Tommy to sit before digging in, to an appreciative moan “It tastes even better.”

“Denton will probably pin you down for a menu discussion very shortly,” Tommy grinned at Barbara’s muffled query “He has a whole file of recipes that he knows I like, but he will want to find out your preferences and burger and chips will not be on the menu every night and I assume there are foods you can’t eat,” Tommy waved his fork in the general direction of her stomach.

“I have all the information that the doctor gave me somewhere. Thankfully this,” Barbara waved her fork at her finished meal, “is not on the list but I’ll talk with Denton.”

“What will you be speaking with me about Ms Havers?” Denton asked as he arrived to clear their dishes, a tray under his arm. 

“That was amazing Denton, thank you,” Barbara said as she finished her meal.

“My pleasure Ms Havers, tea in the media room?” he asked stacking their plates.

“Thanks, Denton but make Tommy a coffee, I will sit on the other side of the room,” he grinned. She had caught on he had also been avoiding coffee. Nodding in agreement Denton left them alone again.

Following Tommy downstairs and through the kitchen, Barbara stopped and gasped at the room Tommy led her into.

“This room is larger than my living and dining room combined. Is that your yard?” Tommy nodded and unlatched the glass doors walking outside. 

“It is not much right now, but it is lovely in summer. Denton keeps it tidy; he likes his patch of garden to play around in. Come on it is too cold out here.” They walked back inside to find a tray with a pot of tea on the coffee table and coffee already poured.

“So where in this mansion does Denton live?” Barbara asked pouring the tea and getting comfortable on the huge couch, one leg tucked under the other as she turned to face Tommy. 

“His rooms are at the other end of the kitchen. Through the far doors and on the other side of the patio.” Tommy vaguely pointed towards the front of the house. “It used to be the old storage rooms but when I renovated the house, we made it one big room for him.” 

“So how long have you lived here?” Barbara asked, realising how much she did not know about Tommy or this amazing life he lived so casually. Tommy sipped his coffee and thought back.

“I inherited the house when my father died when I was seventeen. Mr Brown agreed to stay on until I had finished at Eton and Oxford. The house was old and dated when I finally did move in. I asked my mother if she wanted any of it. What she and father had bought together was shipped to Howenstow, and I gave away the rest of it and gutted the interior. We have progress photos somewhere,” Tommy smiled at the memory. He and Denton and done a fair bit of the decorating part themselves, ending up covered in paint in the process.

“I can imagine the reaction if your new police colleagues ever saw this!” Barbara said grinning to Tommy’s shrug.

“They never saw it.” He admitted quietly “It was hard enough being taken seriously when one of the trainers deliberately let slip my title, I was not going to show them this place. I love it of course but it is not normal constable accommodation,” which was perfectly true.

“I did want to discuss something with you,” Tommy put his cup back on the coffee table “I know this is all new and we are still figuring it all out so well,” Tommy scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck. A sure tell that he was unsure about how what he was about to say would be received “if you want to use the spare bedroom then I am fine with that. I mean we only well had that one night and,” he finished lamely, feeling seventeen again. 

He looked over to find Barbara hardly able to contain her laughter, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

“What is so damn funny?” he demanded feeling a little insulted.

“You,” she eventually managed when her chuckles subsided “that is rather like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted as my Mum used to say. I am already pregnant Tommy, whether we share a room or not is rather irrelevant at this point.” 

“I realise that, but I did not want you to feel uncomfortable here. I want it to be your home as much as mine. I mean it would only be short term until they arrive,” Tommy nodded to Barbara’s belly “but it is up to you.”

While Barbara did appreciate his offer. It was the gentlemanly thing to do she supposed, the thought of sharing his room did give her butterflies in her stomach, and it was not the babies. 

“Well with the size of your bed, I doubt you will even know I am there,” she replied cheekily finishing her tea. 

_You are wrong there Barbara_ , Tommy thought. _I will always know where you are whether it is in my room or the spare one_. 

“It is late, so if you want to go and get changed and do your girlie things,” he said with a grin “I’ll put these in the dishwasher and head up.” Nodding Barbara did as he asked and left him alone.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Around one that morning Tommy woke with Barbara cuddled up to him, one arm slung over his stomach, her hand tucked under his t-shirt, that was not so much the problem. She also had her knee nestled firmly against his groin and predictably that particular part of his antimony was wide awake, painfully so. Normally he would have rolled his bed partner over and taken care of his problem to their mutual delight. However, they had not made love since that one night and honestly, he had no idea what to do right now. 

_You could always go and take care of it yourself?_ He told himself and tried to wiggle out from under Barbara’s grasp. However, it seemed she was in no mood to let him go.

“Hmmmm warm,” she muttered in her sleep to his frustration. If she kept rubbing him like that he was going to disgrace himself like a randy teenager. _More like a horny adult_ he argued with himself and tried to get out of bed again which just resulted in her knee driving him closer to losing control. He was doing all he could to keep still and not seek out that delicious friction she was unknowingly providing.

Thankfully the bed was large enough, so he was able to disentangle himself from her clutches and slide to the edge of the mattress. It was a slow process, but the last thing Tommy wanted to do was to wake her, that would raise questions Tommy was in no mood to answer. Swinging his legs over the side, Tommy hoped he could get away from Barbara and deal with his problem. He felt like he was a boy back at Eton again.

“Are you alright?” Barbara’s sleepy voice echoed through the darkroom and Tommy tensed, hoping she would go back to sleep. 

“Yes fine,” he replied hoping he sounded normal. Tommy was sure the universe was toying with him.

“You do not sound fine,” Tommy felt the bed move and the light touch of Barbara’s hand on his back and had to bite back a moan of frustration. “What is wrong?”

“Nothing Barbara,” Tommy snapped, immediately hating himself for it “Sorry I’m just,” Tommy dropped his head between his shoulders. 

“Just what?” she snapped in return, clearly angry at his snarly reply.

“I am bloody horny, alright,” he snapped in return, dragging his hands through his hair in frustration. “Fuck!” he groaned. He had not meant to let that slip and particularly not by yelling it at her. Tommy felt the bed shift again, sure Barbara had turned her back on him and was going back to sleep. He jerked slightly when he felt her arms drape around his shoulders and her warm breath ghost over his ear.

“What are you going to do about it then?” she asked, her voice low and seductive.

“Barbara!” he said warningly, he was close to losing all control. She was far too tempting and it had been months since he had made love. Problem was, he did not want anyone else, he wanted the damned woman draped over his back, driving him to distraction.

“Yes Tommy?” she questioned playfully. “You know sometimes you really should be far less of a gentleman and take what you want.” Barbara hoped she sounded far more confident than she felt.

Honestly, she was terrified she was making a huge fool of herself. Their only night together had been the result of far too much alcohol but tonight they were both sober. Since then Tommy had kept his distance, acted as if nothing had changed between them when in fact nothing was the same, it never would be. 

“I’m on a hair-trigger right now Barbara, do not say things you do not mean,” Tommy told her, the tension clear in his voice.

 _Damn bloody stubborn man_ Barbara could not help thinking. She was no seductress that was obvious but as she had said earlier, he could not get her pregnant again right now, so why not take advantage of that fact. Leaning down she stuck her hand under his t-shirt, lightly scratching his belly and nuzzled his neck, trailing kisses along it.

“I mean it, Tommy, I do want you but now it is up to you,” Barbara withdrew, feeling ridiculous and hurt. She had hardly moved out of his reach when she heard, softly in the darkness.

“I do want you, I always have,” and she found herself gently tipped onto the bed and Tommy was covering her body with his, unerringly finding her mouth and kissing her, well more correctly devouring her. It was glorious, no one had ever kissed her like this.

“Are you sure?” Tommy asked pulling his mouth from hers. 

“Very,” Barbara replied tugging on his t-shirt until Tommy sat back and dragged it off, tossing it somewhere behind him before boldly unbuttoning her top and tugging it open.

“Have I ever told you I am a breast man?” Tommy asked just before he lowered his head and lightly kissed her nipple to her gasp.

“No,” Barbara gasped at the invisible tug between her breast that Tommy was kissing and nuzzling it straight to between her legs, that throbbed with want.

“Hmmmm yes very much so,” he sucked the nipple into his mouth to her gasp as she threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him close. “Tender?” he asked quietly.

“No, not yet but do continue, just to make sure,” Barbara said on a low moan as Tommy did just that. 

Tommy had been a boob man since he was fourteen years old and one of the older boys at Eton had managed to smuggle a girlie magazine into the school. It had been confiscated pretty quickly but it was too late, Tommy’s fascination with boobs was born. He was far from blind, he had been well aware from their first case of Barbara’s ample assets, not just her curvy figure, but these gorgeous boobs that he had finally got his hands on. 

“Tommy please,” Barbara moaned as he attacked her nipple, lightly biting down on it to her gasp as he soothed the slight hurt with his tongue. He was driving her crazy.

“Please what?” he cheekily teased, slipping his hand into her pyjama pants and lightly teasing her curls to her gasp. Wordlessly he sat up and tugged them off giving him free access to her body. “That’s better,” he laid back down, skimming his fingers over her body, making her shiver at the ticklish touch. He laid his hand on her stomach, emotion welling up, his babies were in there and Tommy silently swore he would take care of this woman for the rest of her life. 

“Get those pants off and get on with making love to me,” Barbara tried to add her normal snap to the command but failed as Tommy boldly slid his fingers into her folds and started to tease her.

“So wet and ready for me?” he whispered in her ear to her frantic nod.

“Yes,” Barbara could not keep her hips still with Tommy’s relentless teasing. “Please,” taking pity on her he shoved his pants off but was unprepared for the amazing sensation of Barbara teasingly running her fingertips over his erection. Tommy groaned at the sensation to her wicked chuckle.

“Turnaround is fair play,” she told him, the humour clear in her voice. 

“I will give you turnaround,” Tommy threatened, “I will lock you in this bedroom all weekend and not let you leave the bed. Denton can just push food trays through the door,” 

“You are all words Inspector Lynley, not much action,” Barbara teased to Tommy’s horrified gasp. She could picture his smile in the darkness.

“I will give you action Sergeant,” he growled in return, loving her teasing as he settled between her legs, careful not to squash her belly and taking himself in hand, Tommy lined up and, to Barbara’s moan, pushed into her welcoming wetness. 

“Oh hell,” she gasped at the sensation of being so filled to his chuckle.

“You are not complaining?” he asked boldly as he slowly started to make love to the woman under him. 

“Not in the slightest,” Barbara admitted, tugging Tommy down for a kiss which he willingly surrendered to. She knew he was being gentle with her, and Barbara had no complaints. She had not consulted her doctor about having sex while she was pregnant but so long as they were careful she was sure it would be fine. This was much, much better than just fine. It was amazing. She could feel the strength in his body as he made love to her, the muscles flexing in his back and shoulders, as Barbara could not keep her hands off him. 

“Oh hell,” she gasped as Tommy found that perfect rhythm to drove her wild. He pulled her hips higher into his lap and wickedly teased her as he relentlessly drove into her warmth. His fingers smearing her wetness over her clitoris and driving her closer to the edge. 

“Tommy,” Barbara could not hold back her needy whine. Her body felt like it was being pulled tighter and tighter, arousal thrumming through her blood as Tommy drove her mad. She had never had a lover like him. Not that Barbara had a great many lovers, four or maybe five. Enough that she knew the basics of the act but not enough she considered herself an expert of any sort. It was clear by how quickly Tommy had her desperate to climax that he had years of experience with women. I will ask him much later Barbara decided, gasping as Tommy leaned down and nibbled on her neck.

“I am not going to last,” he whispered in her ear. Truthfully considering the state he had woken in, Tommy was rather surprised he had lasted this long.

“Come for me,” Barbara ordered, her orgasm close. She wished she could watch the pleasure dance across Tommy’s face but the room was dark to see him. Maybe I should take him up on that staying in bed all weekend?

“Yes,” he gasped, thrusting deep and gripping her hips as Tommy lost all control of his body and his release flooded Barbara’s willing body. Not prepared to leave her behind, he stayed buried in her as he attacked her slippery folds, easily sending her over the edge, loving the feeling of her body squeezing him tightly as her orgasm overtook her. 

Collapsing back on the bed, sweaty and still gasping slightly for breath, Tommy leaned over and dragged the covers off the floor and covered them both. 

“I am not complaining but what brought that on?” Barbara asked as Tommy tugged her into his arms.

“You did,” Tommy replied, the amusement clear in his voice.

“Me? How do you figure that?” Barbara demanded lightly. She was far too satisfied to bother arguing.

“You were all snuggled up to me like this, but your knee was driving me crazy,” Tommy admitted to her laughter. 

“Well I would apologise but I’m not sorry in the slightest, but as we have to get up early and its now,” Tommy felt Barbara partially sit up and look over his shoulder, “nearly two, we had better get some sleep.” 

“Good idea, seduce me earlier next time,” Tommy directed sternly to her huff of annoyance and pinch to his ribs. Laughing he tugged her closer and dropped a kiss to her head. “Go to sleep Barbara, you are right it is late.”


	13. Tommy and Barbara start telling their friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Barbara start telling their friends about their babies and new friendships are formed and Barbara's cravings make their first appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667600002/in/dateposted-public/)

“Yes, I _know_ I am being ridiculous,” Barbara stressed pacing Tommy’s office “but it was the first place that was all mine and yes I _know_ that two adults and two babies will not fit.” She paced to the wall, spun on her foot and headed back the way she had come. 

“Barbara, I never said you had to sell your flat when I asked you to move in with me. Rent it out if that is what you want to do, deposit the money in an account,” Tommy felt as if they were going around in circles on this issue. Barbara had finally agreed to move into his townhouse, acknowledging that her flat was far too small for them all and had moved her belongings in a bit at a time. Tommy did not see the point in paying a mortgage on a flat she did not live in. He had taken a load of her belongings back to Eaton Terrace and had returned to find her standing in the middle of the reception room with tears streaming down her face. It had scared the hell out of him.

There was a knock on Tommy’s door, and he yelled out for the person to come in at the same time Barbara yelled for them to go away. The door creaked open and Winston stuck his head around, looking a little puzzled by the dual commands. Tommy waved him in, and Winston closed the door behind him.

“Sorry to interrupt but we have,” Winston paused looking between the two of them, “I can come back later,” he asked nervously. 

“No, its fine Winston, we are just trying to work out what to do with my flat,” Barbara told their colleague as she finally sat down. “Sell it or rent it,”

That got Winston’s attention, totally forgetting the case he turned to look at Barbara, excitement getting the better of him.

“You have a flat to rent? Can I have a look at it? How much rent do you want for it?” he asked, one question running into the next. “It is bout time I get a place of my own. My sisters need a room each, teenagers you know?” he explained, his Jamaican accent far more prominent due to his excitement.

“Well I have not thought about it Winston, but I would be happy to let you rent it. It is two bedrooms but the second one is pretty small.” Barbara knew renting it out made sense, just so she had a backup if moving in with Tommy did backfire and renting it to someone she knew would make things easier. “How about I show it to you on Saturday, if we are not working?” Winston nodded enthusiastically. 

“That would be fantastic Barbara, thanks,” he grinned happily and pulled out his notebook to relay the information he had gathered.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Tommy rolled over and realised that Barbara was not in bed with him and there was no sliver of light under the bathroom door. Slightly worried he sat up and called out for her but got no reply. Climbing out of bed, Tommy slid his feet into his slippers and tugged on his dressing gown as the house would be cold. Checking that the bathroom was empty Tommy opened the bedroom door and noted the motion sensor lights on the stairwell had turned themselves off again. The bathroom on the landing was also empty so Tommy headed downstairs. From the ground floor stairs, he could see a faint light, it appeared to be coming from the kitchen, so he headed down the final flight of stairs and pushed open the kitchen door to find Barbara sitting at the table.

She glanced up and found him leaning against the door jamb and a slightly guilty look flashed across her face, but she smiled up at him.

“What on earth are you eating?” Tommy asked walking into the room and closing the door behind him “anchovies?” he asked, the smell finally registering.

“Yes, with pickled onions,” she held up the small dish she was eating from to Tommy’s grimace “what?” she questioned, somewhat defensively.

“Nothing, just an odd combination,” he took a seat on the opposite side of the table shaking his head when she offered him the dish.

“They were in your fridge,” she said swallowing other anchovies and sucking the oil from her fingers.

“Yes, however, I think they are Denton's for when he makes his smelly pizza,”

“Smelly pizza?” Barbara’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. 

“Yes, anchovies, olives, gorgonzola cheese and pepperoni. Thankfully he does not make it often, it gives me indigestion for days, but it is really good.” Tommy grinned at the look of anticipation on Barbara’s face. 

“I will ask him to make it for us. I’m guessing the cravings are starting?” Barbara nodded.

“Yes, I woke craving something salty and I just could not get it out of my head so,” she shrugged. “I raided Denton’s fridge.”

“Denton will not mind; we will have to keep it stocked for you.” Tommy tried to hold back his yawn, but Barbara caught it. 

“I am sorry, for waking you. Let’s go back to bed,” she finished the last onion and then drank the vinegar and oil left behind, grinning at Tommy’s grimace. “Sorry,” she laughed, not sounding sorry at all.

“No, you are not,” Tommy scolded, taking her hand in his and switching off the kitchen light as they walked upstairs to their room, Tommy climbed back into bed as Barbara headed towards the bathroom. 

“I wonder how weird my cravings will get?” Barbara stuck her head out a few minutes later, talking around a toothbrush, to Tommy’s grin.

“Who knows, we had better stock up on all the weird and wonderful foodstuffs then.” He chuckled at her glare “I’ll send Denton to Harrod's or Fortnum & Mason’s.” 

“No picking on the pregnant woman,” she told him sternly, lightly smacking his arm “I am suffering for your heir here.” She teased to Tommy’s chuckle. 

“Yes dear,” he replied and avoided her swipe, holding the covers up so she could get comfortable again. “Go to sleep,” he lightly ordered and switched off the light again.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

Lynley, Havers and Nkata were ceremoniously crowned with paper hats for the fastest case closure, three days from the discovery of a body to conviction. It was just a silly bit of fun; their murderer had not been of any great intelligence, so it had been a very easy conviction. Honestly, Havers felt a bit sorry for the poor sod when he came up against Lynley in an interrogation room. A few minutes of conversation, really Lynley had not had to push too hard and he had folded, admitting to killing the other man as he had been flirting with his favourite barmaid. 

Naturally, while the three of them were sitting in Lynley’s office discussing the case and still wearing their silly party hats was when Hillier had decided to come down from his ivory tower. The other two had snatched their hats off their heads as Hillier walked into the office however, Lynley calmly addressed the Assistant Commissioner as if nothing untoward was happening and he was not wearing a lime green paper hat on his head.

Lynley had calmly detailed the case, how they had solved it, the man’s confession because the murdered man had flirted with a barmaid their killer has his eyes on, all with a perfectly straight face. Hillier’s was getting redder and redder by the moment until he had turned on his heel and left without a word of congratulations. 

They waited until they heard the bell for the lift signify that Hillier had left before all three burst into laughter, wiping tears from their eyes.

“Did you see the look on his face,” Havers managed to gasp through her laughter. “I thought he was going to have a heart attack.” Lynley just smirked in reply.

“Barbara is not the trouble maker in this partnership,” Nkata said unable to keep the grin off his face. Lynley just shrugged, not denying the accusation.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*

The rest of the week had been a typical coppers week, boring as hell. A few times Lynley had grabbed his coat, Havers had automatically gone to grab hers, before remembering she was now allocated to desk duty. Lynley had relented and taken her along to a few interviews for the latest case. It was just dull groundwork so hardly anything to be worried about. Telling parents that their child was dead was the worst part of the job.

“You will understand,” the mother had cried, clinging to her husband “when you hold that baby you are carrying, then you will understand. It is like having your heart ripped out.” Lynley left them with his card and a promise to be in touch with any news.

Havers collapsed back into the Bristol with a groan, laying her head against the seat rest. Lynley climbed into the car but did not start it up straight away, they both sat staring at the house and thinking of the devastation they had just wrought inside.

“She is right,” Lynley said softly, still staring at the house “losing a child rips your heart out.” Havers turned to stare at her partner. He rarely mentioned the child he and Helen had lost.

“I cannot imagine what they must be going through,” Havers admitted, unconsciously laying her hand on her stomach.

“I swear I will keep you and them safe, with my life if necessary.” Lynley said, finally starting the car “I could not survive the loss of another child and I would never want you to go through that either.” Even though they had promised to remain professional at work, Barbara laid her hand on Tommy’s thigh.

“I promise Tommy, I will not do anything to harm the babies but I do not want to do this without you either so you have to promise me that you will stay safe too.” He nodded, giving her a sad smile. Barbara would never forget the devastating day that Helen had lost their child, it had torn Tommy apart as he had not felt ready for the child when Helen told him she was pregnant and felt as if he was being punished.

“Are you honestly pleased about the babies?” Barbara asked, trepidation making her stomach churn. “I mean, with Helen and then, what happened, and I know you said you were not ready and, well, are you?” Barbara stammered, not something she was prone to doing. She had never backed away from an argument as far as Tommy could remember. Diving in headfirst was more Barbara’s method of attack.

Tommy flashed his warrant card to the security guard and pulled into the underground car park and found a space. Tommy turned the car off but turned to face Barbara, taking her hands in his.

“I will not lie to you and say it was not a shock and it did take a little getting used to but yes I am thrilled, still a little terrified,” he said with a light chuckle “but pleased. After we lost Zachary I had convinced myself it was for the best, that I would be a lousy father, but that was the grief talking, I have always wanted children and not just to continue the family line.”

“Zachary?” Barbara asked confused. Tommy nodded.

“Yes, it was a boy, we had decided on Zachary, so we had a name,” he paused taking a deep breath “for his death certificate and his plaque on the wall at Howenstow.” The sadness in Tommy’s voice as he spoke of his son broke Barbara’s heart. She lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of his. 

“You will be an amazing father I have no doubt and I promise you I will follow orders,” Barbara narrowed her eyes at Tommy’s snort of disbelief “okay I will try to follow orders, but I will not do anything reckless. I was terrified at first too but now, I am looking forward to meeting the babies. Come on we missed lunch and we need sustenance.” Tommy laughed at climbed out of the car.

“What doth my Lady crave today?” he asked bowing to Barbara to her laughter.

“Hugo’s?” Barbara suggested, her eyes lighting up “spicy chicken wings with chips, those big thick ones?” 

“Still have the cravings?” he asked laughing to Barbara’s nod. “Come on then. I know better than to argue with a pregnant woman,” they headed out to the main street and crossed over to a local pub. The lunch crowd had thinned so they easily found a booth and Tommy went to the bar and ordered for them.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The rest of the week was an ordeal in frustration. Every single lead they thought they had ended up nowhere. Lynley and Havers had been snapping at each other, no one paid any attention to them, that was normal for those two, but the stress was starting to show. 

At one point Havers burst into tears as she was updating her colleagues, everyone stared at her shocked as it was so out of character. Lynley walked from the front of the room and pulled her into his arms and she soaked his shirt. Nkata stepped up and took over the daily briefing of their latest case without making a fuss of it, to Lynley’s eternal gratitude. He led Havers into his office and kicked the door shut behind him. He gently pushed her into a chair and handed her a glass of water and managed to get to the bottom of her upset through her tears. 

“Bloody pregnancy hormones,” she cursed sipping the water and giving Tommy a watery smile.

“Everyone understands Barbara,” Tommy wiped her eyes “these sorts of cases affect us all. It was just bad luck we landed another child death,” Tommy hoped it was just bad luck. If Hillier was deliberately giving them child murders to enact his petty revenge for stealing his thunder and announcing their news before he had a chance to then Lynley would have no hesitation in throwing his warrant card at Hillier on his way out the door.

There was a light knock on the door and Barbara nodded so Tommy called out it was open. Nkata stuck his head around the door and walked in upon Lynley’s beckoning. 

“We have all had a chat,” Nkata waved his hand in the general direction of the outer office “And we have decided you two are taking the weekend off,” before Lynley could say a word Nkata continued “do not even bother arguing with me, we will keep you updated on any developments.” It was clear that Nkata was not going to back down, His accent, normally far more subtle, was thick and strong, a sure sign he was immovable in the subject. “Spend time with your friends or go for dinner I do not care but go home,” he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them both. Lynley held his hands up in surrender.

“Okay Winston, okay. We are going,” Tommy stood and clapped the younger man on the upper arm “Thank you, call if you need us,”

“You know, Winston does have a point,” Tommy said as they pulled into the garage in the mews. “We have not told any of our friends or family about the babies yet. I was thinking maybe we could start by telling Simon and Deb, have them over for dinner tomorrow night?”

The very thought of it was terrifying, Simon was Tommy’s oldest friend, but Barbara knew they would have to start telling people and she would rather do it in small gatherings than all at once.

“If you like,” she replied trying to keep her nervousness out of her voice.

“It is up to both of us Barbara, but I would rather tell them than they find out by accident,” Tommy explained, which she knew was reasonable.

“I would like that. I do not know them that well,” she admitted climbing out of the car. “It will just be casual, won’t it?” Tommy chuckled.

“Yes, it’s just Simon and Deb.” He opened the kitchen door “nothing fancy about them. Deb will probably have her shoes off as soon as she walks in the front door.” 

“Okay, we can start telling your friends and family.” Barbara agreed but still felt a little nervous about it.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“You look fine,” Tommy said from where he was lounging on the bed on Saturday night waiting for Barbara to decide on an outfit “it is just Simon and Deb,”

“I am not worried about that,” Barbara tugged her top off and threw it on the bed in a fit of temper “nothing bloody fits!” Tommy knew better than to laugh. He climbed off the bed and hugged her. 

“We are going shopping tomorrow and no arguments; we need to get you some new clothes now let's see what we can find.” Luckily Barbara was not the type of women who wore tight clothes, so she had a bit of space. She was already wearing a pair of stretchy black trousers, so they just needed a top. 

“I have a suggestion, but no laughing,” he said and pulled out one of his own shirts “just try it on,” he ordered as he handed it over. Barbara slipped the shirt on and Tommy turned back the cuffs and turned up the collar, letting it drape over her stomach and turning her to face the mirror “well?”

“That works but they will be wondering why I am dressed in your shirt on a Saturday night,” Tommy shrugged.

“They are going to find out soon enough, come on they will be here shortly.” They walked downstairs and as if on cue the front doorbell sounded. Tommy grinned and hurried to open the front door to let his friends in.

He enveloped Deborah in a hug and kissed her cheek then hugged Simon, beckoning them inside and shutting the front door. 

“Hello Barbara,” Deborah said, as if finding her friend’s work colleague in his house on a Saturday night was nothing unusual. “It is nice to see you again,” clearly the woman was a little confused by her tone, but she was far too polite to mention it. 

“Let us go up to the drawing-room, Denton is still slaving away in the kitchen,” Deborah and Simon preceded them up the stairs and into the front room where Denton had set out glasses and topped up the ice bucket. Tommy poured them all drinks, including Barbara who was having a small glass of wine. Her doctor had said the occasional glass was fine.

“I am sure you are a little curious as to why Barbara is joining us,” Tommy put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him, noting the slightly surprised look on his friend’s faces. “I know it is a little unexpected, but we have some exciting news for you, and well we wanted you to be the first to know.”

“Thomas Lynley will you hurry up!” Deborah demanded; amusement clear in her voice.

“We are having a baby, well two of them actually,” Tommy said to their surprised gasps. They both immediately put their glasses down and enveloped Barbara and Tommy in more hugs.

“Oh, that is just marvellous, how exciting twins, you sneak Tommy!” Deborah lightly smacked his arm “Not telling us you and Barbara were dating.” 

“About that,” Tommy said, a light blush staining his cheeks.

“We were not, dating that is,” Barbara told them a slight grin dancing across her face “a drunken Christmas party is totally to blame for the predicament I now find myself in,” it didn’t take long for them to realise what she meant and both laughed. 

“Come and tell me all about it,” Deb grabbed Barbara’s hand and lead her over to one of the couches and sat down “how exciting, so when are you due? We will have to go shopping and squander Tommy’s millions,” she grinned up at her friend who just shook his head at her teasing.

“They are due around September the Doctor thinks, but they come when they come apparently,” Barbara said, trying to ignore that casually dropped millions. Of course, she knew Tommy was well off, his title, this house and the Cornwall estate was enough to clue her in to that fact, but Deb dropped it as if that amount of money was nothing at all. Maybe to people like this it wasn’t?

“Well I am thrilled for you, if you need anything please let me know. Tommy has our numbers,” Deb was easy to like, she was lively and fun. 

“You could always take Barbara shopping?” Tommy asked from where he was standing with Simon, the hopeful tone in his voice had the ladies chuckling. “Shopping is not in our DNA,” Tommy told them, pointing between himself and Simon to Deb’s bark of laughter.

“Do not listen to him Barbara, I have personally seen Tommy put two women to shame when he is in the mood to do some serious damage to his credit card,” Deb happily tattled on her friend to Barbara’s amusement. 

“I will keep that in mind,” she replied laughing as Tommy grabbed Simon’s arm and dragged him to the other end of the room to Simon’s chuckle and left the ladies to chat.

“Good evening Ms Deborah, Mr Simon, dinner is served in the dining room,” Denton told them as he walked into the room. Barbara smiled at the apron tied around his waist.

“Hello Denton, what delicacies do you have for us tonight,” Deb said climbing to her feet as Simon and Tommy headed over as well. 

“Roasted vegetable soup and pan-fried salmon with mustard crust and sautéed vegetables and desert is a surprise,” Denton announced proudly making everyone’s mouth water. He loved to cook and had been researching meals that Barbara would be able to eat, the list of out of bounds foods was rather lengthy. 

“That sounds delicious Denton, thank you,” Barbara told him to his obvious pleasure as she followed Tommy downstairs to the dining room. Denton had set the table with beautiful timber placemats and red napkins. It made the formal room seem much more cosy and friendly. Bowls of bright orange soup were waiting for them. 

Barbara found herself warming to Simon and Deb. They were great fun and spent a great deal of time teasing Tommy and telling her the most outlandish stories about when he was younger. Denton came to collect their dishes to their thanks and was back soon after with the main course. 

“So, what do your family think of your impending motherhood Barbara?” Simon asked innocently enough. Barbara shook her head.

“I do not have any family,” she told them “My brother Terry died when he was ten from leukaemia and both my parents have passed on. My father died from emphysema and my mother suffered from dementia, she had no idea who I was for the last three years of her life.” 

“Oh, Barbara I am so sorry,” Deb reached over and laid her hand over Barbara’s. “I know it is not the same, but you have us now and Tommy’s family, you’ve met all of them before haven’t you?”

“That is enough to make you run,” Tommy said to their laughter. He had made an effort to mend the rift between him and his mother and had supported her after Dr Trenarrow had committed suicide. He also often took Peter to a football match if they were both free. 

“Your family are lovely,” Barbara scolded him laughingly “however no, we have not told them yet. Actually, besides our colleagues, you are the first people we have told. It will be obvious soon enough.” Barbara pulled the shirt tight to show off her bump to Deb’s delight.

“When does the morning sickness finally leave?” Barbara asked, knowing Deb and Simon had two children. A flash of hurt flashed across the other woman’s face and Simon reached over to take her hand in his.

“Our children are both adopted,” Simon said quietly “Sebastian is four and a half and Annabella is nearly three.”

“I cannot carry a pregnancy to term, I suffered numerous miscarriages during the early years of our marriage,” Deb admitted sadness evident in her voice. 

“I am sorry, I…” Barbara hesitated, feeling guilty for putting her foot in it. 

“Oh, please Barbara, do not be, you were not to know. We were lucky enough to have Sebastian placed with us when he was two months old, he was not a happy baby at all,” she chuckled remembering this tiny infant she was now responsible for.

“Sebastian was born drug-addicted,” Simon told them “he had to slowly be taken off them which is why we were not even told about him until three days before we brought him home. It was an eye-opening experience,” Simon said chuckling.

“Just before Sebastian’s second birthday, we were offered his sister. His mother was pregnant again and, if possible, wanted them to grow up together. We jumped at the chance of course and we took her home as soon as she was born. We realise how lucky we are,” Deb told them “Tommy is their godfather, of course, he spoils them rotten,”

“No idea what you are referring to,” Tommy replied amusement clear in his voice, as Denton walked back into the room to collect their plates “that was excellent Denton thank you.” 

“My pleasure Sir. Do you want dessert and coffee here or in the drawing-room?” 

“Drawing room I think Denton, thank you,” Tommy said pushing his chair back and helping to stack plates on the tray as the others headed upstairs, chatting away.

“Thank you, Denton, for dinner and for helping to make Barbara feel welcome. I do appreciate it,” Tommy told his valet seriously.

“It is my pleasure Sir, Ms Havers is no problem at all,” he picked up the tray and disappeared down to the kitchen while Tommy went upstairs.

Denton walked into the drawing-room and over to one of the cupboards, opening it up to reveal a tray of coffees and a tea for Barbara and slices of berry covered cheesecake, to Deborah’s appreciative moan.

“Denton, is that what I think it is?” she asked, taking the tea tray from him.

“Yes, Ms Deborah it is, berry cheesecake.” He placed the four plates on the coffee table and excused himself.

“Oh I think I love him,” Barbara said as she tasted her first forkful. “This is amazing.” Everyone else had to agree. 

“He is playing favourites,” Tommy complained putting his plate back on the table. “Denton doesn’t make me cheesecake,” Barbara slapped his hand when he tried to steal some of hers. 

It was late by the time Barbara and Tommy said good night to Simon and Deb as they walked to their car. By some parking miracle, they had found a spot right outside Tommy’s townhouse. Waving them off they walked back inside.

“That went well I think,” Tommy said as he carefully stacked the cups and plates inside the dumb waiter and sent it down to the kitchen.

“Well that is clever,” Barbara said, sticking her head in the door and watching it slowly descend to the kitchen. “Stops at the dining room too I assume?” Tommy nodded.

“Come on it’s late, bedtime,” Tommy put his hand on Barbara’s lower back and directed her up to their room where they got changed and crawled into bed. 

Tommy could not help thinking the fact that his long time friends got on so well with Barbara was a good sign of things to come. 


	14. Deborah and Barbara go shopping with Tommy's credit card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara and Deborah spend the day spending Tommy's money and a strong friendship is formed. Later that night Barbara thanks Tommy to their mutual enjoyment.
> 
> Warning: This is an NSFW chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667599967/in/dateposted-public/)

“Tommy, it is fine, I understand,” Barbara tried to explain to her partner, but he was having none of it.

“I swore to you that I would be at every scan and appointment,” Tommy was pacing his office, clearly agitated.

“Tommy just _bloody_ stop!” he did, staring at Barbara in shock, she rarely spoke to him in that tone of voice “You are about to close in on a man who shoved a young girl in front of a London bound train. There will be other scans, now go and give a family the closure they deserve. Besides Deborah and I are going shopping after the scan, at your orders.” She hastened to remind him.

“I know, it is just,” he tried again to her glare. Tommy knew logically that Barbara was right, but he had promised to be there for her. “Okay I give up,” he held his hands up in surrender. “Take this with you though,” he dug out his wallet and handed over a credit card “Go on, I am the reason your clothes do not fit after all, so,” he waved the card at her and hesitantly Barbara took it. 

“Well half the reason anyway,” she replied before looking down at the card and very nearly dropped it. It was a Coutts credit card and Barbara knew these things were not just handed out to anyone. “I, thanks,” she stammered, slipping it into her pocket. 

“Go buy yourself some fripperies, and phone me after the scan,” he ordered.

“Fripperies!” Barbara clarified, her eyebrows disappearing under her fringe to Tommy’s laugh. “I don’t think I have ever bought a frippery in my life but thank you,” 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Barbara was not sure who was more excited to see the babies on the screen, herself or Deborah. The stenographer printed her off a couple of copies to take home to Tommy. Even though Deborah had two children herself, she had never been able to experience the pregnancy part of it so Barbara decided to share the experience with her.

Getting dressed again and booking in for her next scan the receptionist gave Barbara her appointment card back. She put through a quick call to Tommy to let him know it all went well and she was off to buy some fripperies with Deborah. He laughed and asked if his bank balance could withstand the two of them together? Hanging up Barbara turned to Deborah who was waiting for her. 

“So, where to for lunch?” Deborah asked, and they headed out into the late winter sunshine and around the corner to where the car was parked. 

“I do not know this end of town, you pick somewhere?” Barbara suggested as they climbed into Deborah’s car. She had picked Barbara up from home and they headed into the appointment together.

“I know a sweet little Italian restaurant not far from here?” Deborah offered as she started the car to Barbara’s agreement.

The restaurant had just opened, the lunch crowd had not arrived yet so they chose a booth at the front of the restaurant overlooking the street. Waiters hurried over with menus and water jugs, explained the daily specials and left the two ladies alone. 

“This is my treat,” Barbara said sternly, putting her menu down “Well Tommy’s treat anyway. He gave me his credit card.” 

“So he should that scoundrel,” Deborah laughed “getting his partner pregnant, I still have to know that whole story!” the waiter came to take their orders and quickly withdrew. “So come on, spill!” Deborah waved her fingers in a come-on gesture to Barbara’s blush as she buried her face in her hands.

“It was the Met Christmas party, some posh place. I even bought a dress for the occasion.” She smirked remembering Tommy telling her she was never to wear a dress to the office again “can we just leave it at Tommy approved?” Deborah shook her head.

“Nope, I want details,” Deborah smiled up at the waiter as he put their entrees in front of them “all of them,” she grinned. 

“It was late, nearly midnight I think, and I was talking to Winston at the bar, well someone had nailed some mistletoe to the bar, above our heads. I never really thought Tommy would kiss me in front of all our colleagues,”

“He didn’t!” Deborah gasped, interrupting Barbara’s story to her laugh.

“Yes he did, I mean I expected it would be just a peck but,” Barbara could feel her face heat at the memory.

“It wasn’t?” the laughter in Deborah’s voice was clear. “You are so good for him Barbara, I just wish he had realised it years ago.”

“I’m glad one of us thinks so,” Barbara muttered quietly, but not quite enough as Deborah heard it.

“What is wrong Barbara? You can talk to me and scout’s honour I will not repeat it to the men.” Barbara looked up at her, it had been a long time since she had a girlfriend. Someone to talk to about the important things and nothing at all.

“I don’t think I am good enough for Tommy,” she said, ripping her bread roll into pieces “I do not belong in his world, with perfect manners and knowing what fork to use. I am no Helen,” Barbara trailed off, unable to look up at the other woman.

“Well I am very glad of that,” Deborah exclaimed to Barbara’s shock. 

“But, you were friends?” Barbara questioned more than a little confused as the waiter filled her water glass again. 

“Only as far as she was Tommy’s wife. Oh, I am sorry she died the way she did, but no, we were not friends. Helen was insanely jealous of any woman that went within a twenty miles radius of Tommy so while she tolerated Tommy and I being friends, she did not trust me whatsoever,” Deborah explained to Barbara’s astonishment. 

“Except me,” Barbara felt confident about that fact but Deborah shook her head.

“Especially you, she hated the fact that Tommy’s partner was a woman and he would not even consider asking for a replacement. She was eaten up with jealously and it made no difference how many times Tommy told her that you two were not having an affair she would not believe him. In the end, he just gave up defending you.”

“Tommy and I were having an affair? That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. Tommy would never do such a thing and even when she left him, he was never unfaithful.” _I have no idea why_ Barbara silently added.

“You and I both know that, but there was no getting through to Helen. As I said I am sorry she died how she did but long term she was no good for Tommy. You are,” Deborah said, toasting Barbara with her water glass.

“Well I am not so sure about that,” the waiter took their dishes and brought over their main courses. Barbara inhaled the aroma of prawns, chilli and garlic.

“I am, I have no doubt you two will fight, but you always have and now you have something to fight for,” Deborah added cheese to her pasta, debating revealing that her friend had been in love with his partner for years but she decided it was neither the time nor the place.

“The whole thing terrifies me,” Barbara admitted twirling pasta onto her fork as Tommy had shown her. 

“The babies?” Deborah queries twirling her pasta.

“Everything.” Barbara took a mouthful of prawns and chilli to give her a chance to think over what she wanted to say. 

“Tommy and I have been partnered for close to ten years. We are both well aware of the gossip and innuendos that have spread through the Met. Tommy has never overstepped our friendship.” Barbara slipped into her old habit of defending her colleague.

“Except that one night?” Deborah prompted to Barbara’s nod.

“Yes, that one night. I thought I had picked up a bug or something, not this. I was horrified and terrified and everything in between. I,” she paused, “I thought about not going through with it, but this is my last chance to have a child and I was going to do it with or without Tommy,” 

“Tommy would never have let you do this alone, you know that Barbara. Tommy adores kids, you should see him with my two.” Deborah laughed at a memory.

“I know but I was panicking. He did not take it too well when I told him I did not need anything from him,” Barbara admitted feeling a little ashamed.

“I will bet he did not. “Deborah winced at the thought. “I am not going to tell you it will all be hearts and flowers, marriage is hard, but it is worth it.”

“Marriage!” Barbara nearly choked on her lunch “I hardly think Tommy is even considering that,” she sipped her water.

Deborah just shrugged one shoulder but she had known Tommy Lynley in one capacity or another nearly all her life, first as her father’s employer’s friend and later as a lover and fiancé. Having a child out of wedlock was far more socially acceptable than what it used to be but Tommy could be rather old fashioned in some ways and Deborah had no doubt he would want them legally united before the babies were born. She would be very surprised if he was not looking into legally providing for Barbara for the rest of her life regardless if they married or not. 

“Ladies, would you like to see the dessert menus?” their waiter asked as he cleared their plates, both women agreed and Deborah ordered a coffee while Barbara had a tea.

“Still cannot do coffee?” Deborah asked to Barbara’s grimace.

“The smell does not have me running for the bathroom anymore but I still cannot stomach it. One thing you did not miss out is the morning sickness.” Barbara shook her head at the memory as their desserts and drinks arrived. 

“No, this is my treat!” Barbara shook her head as Deborah reached into her handbag for her wallet. “Thank you, I do not have a lot of friends, to talk to about this,”

“It is my pleasure but come on, let’s go and do some damage to Tommy’s credit card,” Barbara had to laugh at the wicked grin on Deborah’s face. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Shopping had never really been Barbara’s thing, she just bought what was practical and hard-wearing. It was a novel experience not having to double-check every price tag. She could not help staring around the beautiful store. She turned to find Deborah talking to a couple of ladies, waving Barbara over excitedly.

“Barbara, I want you to meet our stylists, Celeste and Dominique,” she nodded to a blonde and brunette woman in turn. “They are going to help us with whatever you will need, come on,” Barbara followed the three women to a back room that had a huge change area, the curtains held back by thick gold chains. Plush lounges and small tables beside them and a few empty clothing racks. 

Celeste directed Barbara to a seat and sat across from her and pulled out a small notebook and a gold pencil.

“Now Ms Havers, we will need some answers from you, please?” she asked with a French accent and a smile. Barbara answered her questions, she had no idea about clothing styles and design, but they did not seem to mind when Deborah stepped in to assist. Celeste called in a few other young women and rattled off a slew of directions and they scattered to return in pairs with their arms draped with clothes which they hung up on the racks. 

“I realise you said dresses were not your thing,” Deborah told Barbara “But I thought as you get further along they may be more comfortable?” which made a lot of sense. Most Barbara immediately discharged, far too fancy for her.

“I will need one fancy dress, Tommy’s mother’s birthday dinner is next month, he wants me to attend with him,” they discarded a few dresses until they brought out a black dress. It had a v neck and elbow-length sleeves and was loose and flowing and fell just below her knees. At Deborah’s urging, she went to try it on.

“Oh, Barbara it is stunning and black goes with everything. That is a yes,” it went on the other rack. After that, it was all far more casual clothes, pull on stretchy pants and a few that tied at the waist. More than a dozen tops and a gorgeous red trench coat which did not take much to talk Barbara into. 

Then came underwear, Barbara had never been fitted for a bra in her life, it was a unique experience, thankfully they did not want to fit her for underpants. That was just a bit too much but Deborah did add them to the ever-growing pile of garments.

It was a lot of fun, Deborah had a terrific sense of style and nearly all of it was things that Barbara never would have chosen for herself. Bright colours and patterns and printed scarfs. She would never have considered a red trench but it was gorgeous. 

“We have all your choices and sizes on record Ms Havers, so if you need to replace any item we can have it shipped directly to you,” Celeste told her as the girls gathered all the clothes and disappeared as Barbara dressed again and met Deborah outside. 

She nearly fainted at the final bill but Deborah plucked the credit card from her fingers and passed it across with a grin. Dominique handed over the shopping bags, every garment wrapped in tissue paper and closed with a gold dot. 

“We hope to see you again soon Ms Havers, and good luck with the babies,” Celeste said as the door was held open for them and Barbara gave the lady a grateful smile and followed Deborah. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“Hell Deborah, that shopping trip cost as much as my first car!” Barbara said as they stashed the bags in the boot of Deborah’s car.

“What else do you need?” Deborah asked, adding her bag to the boot.

“That is more clothes than I have ever owned in my life, I cannot think of a single thing more I could need,” Barbara said as they climbed into the car.

“This is the one time you have a legitimate excuse to buy a whole new wardrobe, you may as well take advantage of it.” Deborah’s grin was infectious. 

“Home Jeeves, I need a cup of tea and to get these shoes off,” Barbara’s feet were aching, swollen feet were one of the more disagreeable aspects of being pregnant and she was not even that far along.

“Oh yes, shoe shopping,” the glee in Deborah’s voice made Barbara laugh and shake her head.

“Later, now home!” Barbara waved her hand in the vague direction of Belgravia to Deborah’s laugh as she pulled out onto the street and turned the car towards home.

Barbara had never imagined she would have the opportunity to spend that much money in one day, while it had been fun the best part of the day had been Deborah’s easy friendship. She was a great deal of fun, had an easy laugh and put people at ease. Barbara knew she would have had no idea where to go to buy everything she needed and had no doubt Deborah would have kept going. Barbara’s claim of exhaustion was not a lie.

They had been lucky enough to find a parking spot just up from the townhouse and had unloaded the boot. Rummaging through her handbag Barbara pulled out the keys Tommy had given her. This was the first time she had used them as normally they returned home together. Pushing open the door and staggering inside with the bags, Deborah followed behind closing the door behind them.

“We’ve been shopping Denton,” Deborah unnecessarily told him as he walked downstairs.

“Clearly,” he nodded to the dozens of bags the ladies were carrying “Tea?”

“Oh please,” Barbara smiled in thanks “we can have it in the media room,” they all traipsed downstairs as Denton started on a very late afternoon tea as the ladies carried their bags through to the back room and dropped the bags onto the lounges as they both dropped down as well and kicked off their shoes. 

“Oh my feet,” Barbara said, stretching her legs out and wiggling her toes to get the blood circulating again. 

“Oh just you wait until you’re chasing after two toddlers,” Deborah said with a wicked laugh “exhaustion has a whole new meaning. Word of advice get a nanny, she will save your sanity I promise you.” 

“What? A professional nanny?” Barbara asked shocked as she took the tea Denton offered her with a grateful smile “I had never even thought about that. I just assumed I would be giving up work and staying home with them.” 

“I am more than happy to help in any way I can Ms Barbara,” Denton said as he handed Deborah her tea and laid out a tray of sandwiches and small cakes for them. 

“It is just one more thing I need to get used to. You can take the girl out of Acton but not Acton out of the girl I suppose.” Barbara admitted.

“Barbara if the help is there then take it. I still do as much as I can for my two but we are lucky that my father lives with us and I would be lost without our Nancy, she has been with us since Sebastian was about six months old.”

“I guess I just feel I need to do it all, for when this all disappears,” Barbara admitted quietly. Deborah looked up startled at her friend’s admission and caught sight of Tommy who had just come in the kitchen door. _Keep her talking_ he mouthed. 

“Why do you think it will all go away?” Deborah asked sliding closer and taking Barbara’s hand in hers. “Tommy would never leave you to do this on your own. Even if things do not work out with you two, you will always be looked after.” Barbara just nodded wiping an errant tear.

“Bloody pregnancy hormones, they make me crazy.” She said with a shaky laugh. Tommy carefully stepped back out of the kitchen. Thinking on the women’s conversation. He vowed to speak to his solicitor tomorrow, to make sure Barbara and the babies would always be looked after, legally. 

Noisily Tommy stepped back into the kitchen, calling out when he saw the ladies sitting in the media room. 

“So, how much damage did you do to my credit card?” he leaned over and kissed Deborah on the cheek and then walked over and did the same to Barbara whispering “Hi”.

“Hi yourself, we did give it a bit of a workout,” Barbara pointed to the dozen or so bags on the other lounge which Tommy made a beeline for.

“Hey! No snooping,” Deborah said slapping his hand to Barbara’s laugh.

“Hey yourself,” he shook his hand at their continued laughter. 

“Sit down, I’ll show you,” Barbara opened one of the bags and pulled out one wrapped garment. It was the red trench coat, it was going to be a favourite and Tommy approved by his low whistle. 

Wordlessly Denton brought Tommy a whisky on a tray and smiled as Barbara told him to join them. She had never had anyone to show her purchases off to. 

As Barbara held the garments up to show both Tommy and Denton, Deborah started to arrange them into outfits. There were about twenty separate outfits but as each mixed and matched it would go a lot further. 

“What is in the last bag?” Tommy asked when his media room looked like a women’s clothing store had exploded. He could not help noticing Barbara looked a little nervous about this purchase.

“I bought this for your mother’s dinner,” she said pulling out the black dress and holding it up for his inspection “I wasn’t sure if it would be suitable or not?”

“Barbara it is beautiful and you will look stunning in it,” that was one hundred per cent the truth, but Tommy was fast realising Barbara would look stunning in anything, he just needed to build up her confidence about that fact.

“Well Deborah helped,” she said folding the dress again “I would not have chosen most of that,” she waved her hand towards the pile of clothes, tissue paper and bags.

“Are you staying for dinner Ms Deborah?” Denton asked “I am making stir fry,”

“No thank you Denton, I must get home for bath time and Simon’s storytime, he is a dragon at the moment,” Tommy chuckled at the image that created and knew he would be teasing his friend next time he saw him.

They walked upstairs and said their farewells at the front door just as Denton carried on upstairs, his hands full of Barbara’s shopping.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Later that night Tommy was sitting on their bed, bare feet crossed at the ankle, leaning against the padded headboard as Barbara gave him a fashion parade. He grinned as she twirled in front of him in one of the few dresses among her haul. 

As promised Denton had cleared space for her clothes so she was very excitedly putting them away.

“Come here, I have something for you,” Tommy called out, grinning as Barbara’s head popped out of the wardrobe near the window, her eyebrow disappearing into her hairline.

“Oh do you!” she questioned, cheekily glancing at his crotch to his laugh.

“Not that you wicked girl. It is a woman’s favourite accessory though,” he teased, keeping his arms crossed until she got within reach. Reaching out Tommy grabbed Barbara’s wrist and tugged her into his lap. Her dress riding high on her thighs as she straddled him. Trying to ignore the woman sitting in his lap was easier said than done. She was warm and sexy and far too tempting.

“You had fun today?” he asked unnecessarily but he loved teasing her.

“I did, Deborah is great fun. I did try to control her but,” Barbara shrugged one shoulder to Tommy’s grin. 

“Well this may help in future,” holding out the credit card he had hidden in his palm, Tommy held it towards her to Barbara’s puzzled frown as she took it.

“This is in _my_ name?” Barbara read the card and looked up at Tommy, confusion written all over her face.

“That’s right,” before she could argue, which Tommy had no doubt she was about to do, he put his finger over her lips and shook his head. “It is linked to my account, so you can buy whatever you want, whether it is for you or them, and you do not have to justify it to me either.”

“Tommy, I,” she started, choking back emotions. _Bloody hormones_ she thought. It seemed right now everything started off the waterworks. She wanted to tell him she loved him, had for years if she was honest but Barbara had always loathed women who told a man she loved him to take advantage of him, so she kept quiet. 

Putting her hand in the middle of Tommy’s chest, Barbara could feel the heavy thump of his heart, she leaned down and kissed him, which he approved of as he slid his hands onto her thighs. Tommy was more than happy to let Barbara take charge.

 _Tommy Lynley, you are so damn addictive_ , Barbara thought as she sat back, looking down at the man under her. She rather liked that sitting in his lap she was slightly taller. She brushed his tousled hair back from his forehead, the air fairly crackling with sexual tension. Reaching over Barbara put the credit card on the drawers beside the bed, which meant she was stretched along Tommy’s body, his hands slipping under her dress, thumbs circling on her thighs. 

“So Inspector Lynley,” she purred wickedly to Tommy’s grin, wondering what she was up to, hoping that it was in the direction of _no good_. “Or should that be Lord Asherton?” Tommy chuckled, knowing without a doubt she was up to mischief. 

“Why do you want to know?” he asked boldly staring straight down the neckline of her dress, quirking his eyebrow and smirking as she caught him.

“Just wondering what I should call you,” she said nipping on his earlobe to his body’s total approval.

“Call me?” he managed to gasp, loving this playful side of her. _I should let her go mad with my credit card more often if this is the result_.

“Hmmmm,” she kissed the side of his mouth “when you make me scream,” Barbara tried to move but Tommy tightened his grip on her hips, keeping her in his lap.

“Or you could make me moan?” he suggested, grabbing Barbara by the waist he pulled her closer to her slight gasp, finally feeling what she was doing to him. 

Lust danced along Barbara’s nerve endings as she felt that long bulge in Tommy’s trousers. He had not changed out of his suit after dinner, so there was no heavy denim in the way. Sitting up she started to unbutton his shirt, taking her time, making it last. Tommy did nothing to stop her, just watching her face. 

Tommy slid his hands along Barbara’s inner thighs and stroked her entrance over her underwear, they were damp with her arousal of which his cock fully approved. 

“Naughty,” she said but that slight smile dancing across her face gave away her enjoyment of their teasing.

“Oh I could be far naughtier,” he said to her chuckle.

“I do not doubt that, but it is my turn tonight,” she said pushing his shirt open and leaning down to trail kisses down his chest. Tommy was curious as to what she would do next as she scooted backwards until she got to his belt and slowly undid it, pulling it from the trouser loops, dropping it on the floor. 

Tommy went to unzip his trousers but Barbara slapped his hand away to his chuckle. Lacing his fingers behind his head he let her have her way, lifting his hips as she tugged them and his underwear off, leaving him naked and aroused. He never took his eyes off her as she grabbed the bottom of her dress and pulled it over her head, leaving her in bra, panties and her belly on display. He was speechless at her beauty.

Reaching behind her Barbara undid her bra and slowly peeled it off to his cheeky smirk, she had already figured out he was a boob man. Hooking her finger into the waist of her underpants she pulled them down and stepped out of them, boldly walking back to the bed and climbing onto the mattress, she swung a leg over Tommy’s hips, his hands quickly steading her. 

Never taking her eyes off him, Barbara lined herself up and slowly sunk onto Tommy’s impressive length to both of their moans. 

“You are so bloody beautiful,” Tommy told her reverently as she started to move, slowly riding him, her breasts swinging in time to her movements. Tommy reached out and cupped them, rubbing the nipples which hardened under his touch. 

“You are not so bad yourself,” she whispered leaning forward to kiss him again, gasping at the sensations making love sitting up brought, he rubbed against her inner walls in new and arousing ways, making her gasp to his wicked grin. 

Leaning forward Tommy wrapped his arms around Barbara’s back and tugged her closer, latching onto a nipple and sucking to her gasp. As her fingers were wrapped in his hair he was fairly certain she did not mind at all. 

“Tom…my,” she gasped, close to coming apart in his arms. Sex had always been rather disappointing until it got to the point she did not care a great deal about it any longer. Tommy had destroyed that from their first time together, the man knew his way around a woman’s body and one day, much later, she would ask him but right now her brain was fried, rational thought had deserted her. 

“Hmmmm,” he purred, rubbing his cheeks against her breasts, the slight stubble further inflaming her senses. 

“I’m so close,” Barbara whined, her body felt feverish and sweat dotted her hairline, her thighs ached but it was worth every second of it. Tommy was in a similar state, she could feel the dampness across his back and shoulders as he thrust up into her. 

“Oh fuck!” he moaned, the sexy sound echoing around their bedroom, “I can’t… oh fuck,” he moaned again as he lost control of his body and came, flooding her warmth. Gasping for breath, he wickedly grinned up at Barbara and slid one hand between her thighs, where she was still grinding against him, and teased the engorged bundle of nerves making her cry out. “Come for me, let me watch you,” he ordered in that damned voice of his that broke no argument. 

Obediently Barbara did just that, clamping down on Tommy as her body convulsed with a powerful orgasm and she felt lightheaded from it. Tugging Barbara closer Tommy gently kissed her, tipping her sideways onto the bed and dragging the covers over them. 

“Not that I am complaining at all, but what brought that on?” he questioned once they were both comfortable and Barbara snuggled in his arms. 

“You just looked so damn sexy and…well I took advantage,” Barbara shrugged one shoulder, feeling the thud of Tommy’s heart as it slowed to a normal pace and his arms around her, she drifted off to sleep feeling sedated and contented.


	15. Tommy visits his solicitor and has a question for Barbara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy meets with his solicitor and does not get the news he wants, he spends some time with Simon and he has a very important question for Barbara.
> 
> I have no knowledge of inheritance law, that part is completely made up so please forgive any errors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667599927/in/dateposted-public/)

“I _beg_ your pardon?” Tommy stared at his solicitor in stunned disbelief, not believing what he was hearing.

“I am sorry Lord Asherton,” Mr Pemberton-Cripps replied, not sounding particularly sorry, actually he sounded rather smug “However, that is the law. Unless you decide to marry the mother before the birth, the child is unable to inherit your title or any lands connected with said title. Of course, we can make provisions for it in your will for financial support should you wish to do so. However, upon your death, the title will revert to your brother as the only _legitimate_ male Asherton heir.” 

“This is the bloody twenty-first century, not the dark ages,” Tommy bitterly complained “I would have assumed English law would have moved on by now,” he was keeping a tight rein on his temper, not caring at all for the inflexion Pemberton-Cripps was putting on his child's legitimacy each time he mentioned it, and that seemed to be in every damn sentence. Tommy felt like he was being called on the carpet and that had not happened since his father was alive. He did not much like the sensation of being given a dressing down from his solicitor, a privilege he was ultimately paying for.

“Be that as it may Lord Asherton,” Mr Pemberton-Cripps replied “the ball, as they say, is now in your court. Now if you will excuse me, I have a client due at eleven,” he stood, giving Tommy no choice but to leave. It took all his upbringing to shake the man’s hand.

Tommy was furious as he tore out of the building and around the corner to where he had parked the car. Not looking where he was going he collided into a man walking the other direction, sending both the man and the files he was carrying flying. 

“Oh damn, I am sorry,” Tommy put his hand out to help the man to his feet and helped him gather up his files. 

“Lynley isn’t it?” the man asked “Inspector Lynley, New Scotland Yard?” Tommy looked up from where he was gathering up the papers before the wind collected them. 

“Yes,” he said hesitantly before he recognised the man, “Tony Wainwright,” the man nodded.

“What are you doing around the courts?” Wainwright asked taking the files Tommy handed him. 

“May I ask you a question?” Tommy asked, taking a chance “Do you know anything about inheritance law?” 

“Inheritance law? A little why?” Wainwright asked puzzled.

“May I buy you a coffee and ask you a couple of questions, it is a personal matter.” It was a spur of the moment decision, but Tommy was furious about Pemberton-Cripps attitude and what could a second opinion hurt. 

“Of course, I was only going back to the office to get court notes typed up. There is a cafe around the corner,” Wainwright led the way to a cafe where he was well known as he was greeted as he walked in and they did not need to ask his order.

“Just black coffee thanks, two sugars,” Tommy told the cashier as he paid for the two coffees. “Payment for services,” he said to Wainwright’s grin as the found a table.

“So, inheritance law, I’m guessing for you?” Tommy nodded as two coffees were put in front of them. “The Lord part?” he said grinning at Tommy’s grimace “yes I looked into your background at the time. So how can I help.”

Quickly Tommy filled him in on Barbara’s unexpected pregnancy and Pemberton-Cripps attitude towards the news and that if they were not married his children would receive nothing. Tommy would not accept that.

“It is not my area of law however; I can put you in touch with someone. He is partially right. The inheriting nothing would only apply if you did not acknowledge the child. I assume you do intend to acknowledge it?” Tommy nodded.

“Children actually, there are two of them, we are having twins,” he could not hold back his grin.

“Well that complicates things slightly, only that the doctor will need to ensure the firstborn is identified as such, but I’m sure your doctor will know that.” Wainwright wrote down a name and number and tore off a sheet of yellow paper. “Ring my colleague she specialises in this type of thing. Normally forcing men to admit paternity of their children not the other way around,” Wainwright finished his coffee and shook Tommy’s hand “Good luck,”

Taking a deep breath Tommy dialled the number and made an appointment to see the solicitor on Wednesday afternoon.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The offices were in a beautiful old sandstone building just off Fleet Street. Checking the directory in the lobby, Tommy pushed the relevant button and the old elevator climbed to the tenth floor. Walking up to reception the young girl held up a finger to indicate she would be with him in a minute. Tommy nodded and looked around the room.

The room was all beautifully polished timber with huge windows letting the light in. Coloured cushions and potted plants added some colour to the room. It looked far more like someone’s reception room rather than a solicitor’s office.

“Can I help you Sir?” the young girl asked, the headphones she was wearing now dangling around her neck. “Sorry I just had to finish the dictation,”

“I have an appointment with Siobhan O'Reilly,” he told the young girl “Tommy Lynley,” she pulled an appointment book toward her and ran her finger down the page. 

“I will just let Siobhan know you are here, please take a seat,” Tommy did as she asked, feeling nervous but determined. It was clear to Tommy that it was time to move on, Mr Pemberton-Cripps had been the family’s solicitor for far too long. Tommy had seethed over his rudeness until Barbara had said, in her forthright manner, that he should just find a new solicitor, no reason to stay with the rude man if he made Tommy this angry from an hour-long meeting. She was right of course.

“Mr Lynley, I am so sorry to keep you waiting,” Tommy stood as a woman with long red hair, blue eyes and an Irish lilt to her voice walked towards him, hand outstretched. 

“Pleased to meet you,” Tommy shook her hand as she guided him down a short hall to the conference room. She offered tea or coffee which Tommy declined and indicated a seat.

“So how many I help you?” she asked pulling out a yellow legal pad and pen as the receptionist brought in a jug of water and two glasses. 

“Tony Wainwright recommended you, he said you’re an expert in inheritance law?”

“I am, yes,” she replied easily “So why don’t you tell me what you need me for?”

“My girlfriend is pregnant; I want to ensure her, and the babies are taken care of legally. I’ve been told that as we are unmarried the children will receive nothing of my estate. First I want that clarified if it is correct or not, then I want steps taken to have them financially taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Siobhan was busily taking notes.

“Babies?” she questioned looking up.

“Yes, Barbara is carrying twins. She is approximately three months pregnant.”

“You will be busy,” she said with a laugh and took more notes. “You mention your estate? What are we talking about?” Siobhan looked up at Tommy, waiting for him to continue. This as the part he was rather dreading. Tommy rarely discussed his wealth.

“Well the truth is I am an Earl,” Siobhan looked up, shock clear on her face “the Eighth Earl of Asherton to be precise so the estate is,” Tommy paused unsure how to exactly describe it “large,” he settled on. 

“Do you expect family members to challenge for the title, as you are unmarried?” she asked, taking more notes. 

“We have not told my family as yet, we are still coming to terms with it ourselves, it was not exactly planned.” He chuckled at the memory.

“Well as far as I can see we have two options,” she put the pen down and faced Tommy. He liked her straightforwardness. “Let me ask first, is marriage off the table?” 

“No of course not, I want us to be married before they make their arrival, sometime in the late summer. However, we both know marriages do not always last. I want Barbara and the babies looked after for life,” Siobhan was taking more notes.

“We have two ways we can attack this,” she held up one finger “you and Barbara marry, you then you have an automatic legal connection to the children as their registered father. Barbara would have legal rights to bank accounts and the like, but as I’m assuming any property and other assets by legal rights belong to the title?” 

“Yes, that sounds right.” Tommy nodded “I know the assets under Title cannot be sold, what about the rest?”

“I would suggest trust funds, for the children, a portion of the earnings from the estate can be funnelled into them for their futures. I need to ask you a sensitive question, and please understand, it happens more often than I like to admit,” Siobhan looked embarrassed if Tommy did not know better.

“Go ahead,” he said not taking his eyes off her, curious as to where this was going.

“Could Barbara be after your money? With the pregnancy I mean?” Tommy could not help his laughter, shaking his head to Siobhan’s puzzlement.

“Barbara and I are detectives at New Scotland Yard, we have been partnered for nearly ten years. She has absolutely no interest in either my money or my title, she has teased me about them for our whole partnership. I am not looking forward to her reaction when this is all revealed,” he shrugged.

“I will do some further research for you and provide my advice and let you know what I come up with but if marriage is not out of the question, legally, it would make the line of succession far clearer.” Siobhan handed over her business card and stood, Tommy, did the same.

“Thank you, you have been far more helpful than my current solicitor, who is about to become my ex-solicitor I suspect.” Tommy handed over his card, “I can be contacted on those numbers,” they shook hands and walked over to the bank of lifts.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“You _do_ know you are being a coward don’t you?” Simon St James questioned, not bothering to hide his grin at Tommy’s scowl. They were in the bar of Tommy’s local pub, pints of beer and an empty bowl with crisp crumbs in front of them.

“You are not helping,” Tommy complained, sipping his beer to Simon’s grin.

“Oh, I am sorry was I supposed to be helping?” Simon could not hold back his laughter at the look on Tommy’s face. One of the benefits of a lifelong friendship was being able to tease the other. He was delighted to see his friend happy but was also rather enjoying watching him flounder as it was so un-Tommy like. 

“You know damn well you are,” Tommy sat back in his chair and raked his hands through his hair in frustration. “Supposed to be helping that is,” the barman held up a pint glass to Tommy’s nod. He brought over two more pints and removed the empty bowl.

“You know you should be talking to Barbara, not me, don’t you?” Simon sipped his pint watching his friend. 

“Yes, I had figured out that is normally how proposals go, I have done it before,” Tommy complained “I am so glad I am amusing you,” 

“Sorry, how can I help,” Simon asked laughing “It is so rarely I see you floundering after all,”

“I spoke to a new solicitor about providing for Barbara and the babies, marriage, of course, is the next logical step but,” Tommy sipped his beer “I don’t know how to go about it. Barbara is not into the fancy dinners and down on one knee thing, but it still should be memorable?” 

“If it was me I would not mention the solicitor,” Simon advised wincing “takes the romance out of it. No woman wants to know you are proposing for monitory reasons.” Which Tommy had to agree made perfect sense. 

“That still does not help with the how?” a few of Tommy’s neighbours nodded in greeting as they came into the bar, cold air following them into the warmth.

“What about a weekend away, somewhere neither of you has been to before? I have the cottage in Hampshire that you are more than welcome to borrow. There is a first-class restaurant nearby and numerous pubs. I would not subject a pregnant woman to your cooking,” Tommy glared at his friend.

“As if you can talk,” Tommy bantered back “I have tried your cooking, it is worse than mine,” Simon chuckled, for all their worldly experience mastering cooking was not one of them. 

“The local pub will do you up a picnic basket for a few pounds and you can disappear into the hills, take a blanket, lots of secluded spots,” Simon winked at Tommy who nearly choked on his beer. 

“I can do without the imagery, thank you very much,” he glared at his friend who just smirked. There was a time that Tommy was terrified he had lost both Simon and Deborah’s friendship, thankfully that had not happened.

“Keep it low key, have you got a ring yet?” Simon asked ordering them another round. Even with the kids he and Deborah had a night away from the other on occasion and it was a good chance to catch up with his friends and more often than not to bore Tommy to death with ground-breaking forensic analysis. He reasoned it was fair considering the number of times he had helped Tommy out on a case, in an unofficial capacity of course. 

“I have not bought anything yet, but I have narrowed it down to a few choices,” Tommy dug out his phone and passed it across. “What do you think?”

Simon flicked through the few photos, amazed how far phones had developed in the last few years. The first three were diamond rings. Traditional Simon thought but a little boring. An oval sapphire which reminded him a little too much of one of the Royal’s engagement rings, he forgot which one, Deborah would know. The last was a square cut emerald with diamonds on either side set in white gold and a matching white gold wedding ring, to fit the shape of the emerald. 

“I like this one,” he handed the phone back with the emerald ring on the screen. 

“It reminds me of her eyes,” Tommy was looking down at the phone, so he missed Simon’s eye roll. _Oh, you have it, bad my friend_ , Simon thought and hid his grin behind his beer glass. 

“Well if you want to take this solicitor’s advice and get yourself hitched before you start daddy duties you had best get going. The cottage is vacant, but I will make sure none of my siblings wants to use it in the next few weeks and let you know.” Simon slapped Tommy on the knee “I am happy for you both, Barbara is good for you, keeps you on your toes.”

“I have been told, I just hope I am good for her too,” Tommy admitted “I will keep them safe, no matter what I have to do,” Simon nodded understanding Tommy’s fear. He had supported his friend when he had lost both his first son and wife. Simon knew he would not take a single unnecessary chance with his second wife and children.

“Tommy, we have known each other since we met at Eton together as teenagers, far too long ago. I know you better than my brothers. You have been attracted to your partner, if not in love with her, for years. Do not bother denying it, I am not blind,” Simon cut Tommy off before he could interrupt. “She is carrying your children so man up and tell the woman you love her,”

“Did I ever tell you that you are a bloody bossy bastard?” Tommy complained to Simon’s laugh.

“Yes often. I will ring you through the week and let you know the coast is clear now I am heading home to my wife.” Simon pulled out his phone and called Deborah asking her to come and collect him. Tommy only had to walk up the street a few houses. Handy having your local on the same street.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

As promised Simon had dropped by during the week and had given Tommy a set of three keys, a map to his family’s cottage and a phone number for their housekeeper. Let her know when you want the place and she will go down and freshen it up Simon had advised. 

Tommy had managed to get away from Barbara and headed to the Hatton Garden area of London. He already had an appointment with a jeweller and had borrowed her mother’s wedding ring from Barbara’s jewellery box so he could get the correct size. 

The bell tinkled over the door as he pushed it open. It was one of the smaller jewellers in the area, but Tommy liked that it had been family-owned for generations and made specialist one-off pieces. 

“May I help you Sir?” a young girl asked as she came out from the back of the story.

“Yes, I spoke with a gentleman earlier, about a square emerald engagement ring?” Tommy showed her the photo and she smiled.

“Oh, that is one of mine,” she sounded delighted.

“Yours?” Tommy asked as she unlocked a display case and pulled out a tray of coloured rings, plucking an emerald ring from the black velvet.

“Yes, My Grand-Père owns this stop, it has been in our family for generations. I have wanted to be a jewellery designer all my life. I have only just started to show the pieces I designed. This,” she handed over the emerald ring “is my favourite,”

The ring was far more beautiful up close than any picture could do it justice. The centre stone was a square cut emerald, about a carat or so in size, catching the light as Tommy tilted it this way and that. Two diamonds sat on either side, graduating down to blend into the platinum band.

“It is beautiful, you do lovely work,” Tommy told the young girl to her meta watt grin. “Does it have a matching band?” he asked as she unlocked a second case and brought out a tray of wedding bands. Selecting one she handed it over, it was, of course, a perfect match also in polished platinum. They made a beautiful set and Tommy hoped Barbara would approve of his choice.

“I hope you get a healthy commission,” Tommy said handing the rings back “I will take them both,” she squealed in excitement and did a little happy dance to his delight. 

“Oh, I hope your girlfriend loves the rings if they need resizing or anything then please just bring them back. We offer lifetime adjustments and cleaning.” She fastidiously re-cleaned both rings before selecting a dark green velvet box and slipping both rings inside and showing it to Tommy. 

He took the box from her and felt his throat constrict with emotion. This was the third engagement ring he had bought. The first for Deborah, when they had both been far too young to understand the commitment. It had broken his heart but calling off their engagement had been the right thing to do, she was in love with Simon. The second for Helen, a huge six-carat diamond ring that he had not particularly liked, but she had her heart set on it. He fervently hoped this marriage would last.

Handing over his credit card the young girl rang up the sale and passed Tommy the credit card slip to sign. He added a hefty commission to the final price, signed the slip and passed it back to her gasp. She stared at him shocked and he just smiled in return.

“I have to ring for authorisation,” she said to Tommy’s nod. He knew very well they would have to ring to confirm the sale. He chuckled as the young girl could not take her eyes off the ten per cent tip he had left her. She hung up, handed him back the card and put the box in a small dark blue bag with silver ribbon, the store's colours. 

“Congratulations on your engagement Sir. I hope your new fiancée likes the rings. We stock men’s rings as well,” she told him with a slight smile. 

Tommy sat in the car for a few minutes, staring at the rings. Nerves taking flight in his stomach which was ridiculous. He needed a second opinion so drove to Cheyne Row to seek out Deborah. Thankfully both her and Simon were home.

“I need your opinion on something,” Tommy said as Deborah put a mug of tea in front of him. Slipping the box out of his pocket he slid it across the breakfast bench.

“Oh” Deborah squealed and grabbed the box before Simon had a chance, flipping it open to her gasp “oh Tommy, it is gorgeous. Barbara will love it,” she handed the box to Simon and walked over to Tommy, hugging him tightly. “I am so happy for you both.”

“I have not asked her yet,” Tommy pointed out logically, but Deborah was not in the mood for logic by the look of disbelief she shot his way.

“Oh rot, you know she will say yes, and we would like to host your engagement party, or dinner, or whatever you want. I am so excited,” she hugged him again and sighed over the ring. Tommy did not doubt that Simon would be jewellery shopping himself very shortly.

“Well do not say a word, we are heading down to Simon’s cottage next weekend and I intend to propose there,” Deborah’s excitement was contagious as she hugged both men again. Saying his goodbyes Tommy headed home to find Barbara and Denton in the media room yelling answers to the trivia show on the television. He watched them for a few minutes, glad to see them getting on. Barbara’s cheer as her team won brought him back to the present and he walked into the room, greeting them both. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“Are you going to tell us where we are going and how you managed to wrangle three days off from Hillier?” Barbara demanded yet again as they drove towards Hampshire. 

“The answer is still no,” Tommy said grinning at the annoyed look on Barbara’s face. She had been asking him ever since they had left Eaton Terrace over an hour ago. 

A few days earlier Barbara had gone up to have a bath in their en-suite, so Tommy had taken advantage of that and knocked on Denton’s door. It was exceedingly rare that Tommy interrupted Denton after hours if he could avoid it. However, this was not work-related.

“Sir?” he asked puzzled opening the door. “Come in,” Denton stepped aside to let Tommy into his rooms. “Do you need anything?”

“Yes, I do need your help. Can you pack a couple of bags for Barbara and me?” Tommy pulled the ring box out of his pocket and showed it to Denton “We are going away for the weekend,” Denton’s low whistle signified his approval. 

“Of course, I will. Ms Barbara will love it; it is a beautiful ring Sir. Is it a “staying in” weekend?” Denton subtly asked to Tommy’s laugh “No, I expect we will leave the cottage at some point, we will need to eat,” Denton promised he would take care of it and Tommy had gone upstairs and sat on the closed toilet lid and chatted to Barbara as she bathed.

“Denton is in on this,” Barbara proclaimed wagging her finger in Tommy’s direction. His grin gave the game away “I knew it, that sneak!”

“I only asked him to pack our bags for us, I wanted it to be a surprise,” Tommy said flicking on the blinker and heading down the A31. “He was following my orders,”

“You are both sneaks,” Barbara told him, crossing her arms and looking out the car window. She had to admit it was beautiful down here, acres and acres of green fields, like a patchwork quilt. Tommy knew where he was going as he was not consulting a map however, Barbara was lost. The few cars they came across pulled off the side of the road as they passed, or Tommy pulled over for them. 

It was not that much longer before they started to come across the occasional farm, the hedgerows and trees thicker along the side of the road. Horses dotted the paddocks and she could hear dogs barking. Two young girls on horseback moved off the side of the road so Tommy could pass by with a wave. 

“It is so beautiful down here, peaceful,” Barbara said watching the countryside pass them by. Tommy slowed down and made a right turn into a driveway and stopped to Barbara’s gasp.

“Oh wow,” she gasped. In front of them was a red brick two-story thatched cottage. A long gravel path edged by a stone wall led to stables at the back and a parking area where Tommy pulled the car into and switched it off. They both got out of the car and Tommy opened a small white gate and ushered Barbara through it, digging the keys out of his pocket and opened the front door. 

As promised the house had been aired and cleaned. A vase of flowers stood in the middle of the dining room table and a small basket with bread, jams and local honey stood in the kitchen with a welcome note from the housekeeper and a phone number should they need anything.

“Oh, Tommy it is wonderful, thank you,” Barbara reached up and kissed Tommy’s cheek. He slipped his arm around her waist and would not let her escape to his wicked grin.

“We should check out upstairs, there are bedrooms up there!” she laughed to his cheeky grin.

“We should probably get our bags out of the car first?” he sighed in defeat and walked outside; shoulders drooped to Barbara’s grin. He was back moments later with both bags and Barbara’s handbag strap looped around his neck. 

Taking her handbag Barbara climbed the stairs and found the main bedroom at the far end of the hall. The room was dominated by a huge four-poster bed made up with snowy white linens and probably a dozen throw pillows scattered across the top. A small table sat under the window with two purple armchairs on either side and a small vase of flowers.

“The bathroom is at the end of the hall, top of the stairs,” Tommy said putting their bags on the bed and walking over to the window, pulling back the lace curtains to look out over the front yard.

“You have still not answered my question, Hillier?” Barbara questioned, her arms crossed and a determined look on her face.

“I told him he owed us,” Tommy said, shrugging one shoulder.

“He owed us?” disbelief clear in Barbara’s voice, “you told Hillier he owed us? Are you still actually employed?” Tommy laughed.

“Yes, I am still employed. I just pointed out his little stunt backfired as we had already told our colleagues about your pregnancy. As you could imagine he did not take that well, so I just put the leave forms under his nose and asked him, ever so politely, to sign them, which he did,” it was clear by the smirk on Tommy’s face he was pleased with himself. 

“You will push him too far one day,” she reminded him, but Tommy just shrugged his shoulder. 

“Probably but we are not here to talk about bloody Hillier, now I do not know about you, but I am starving. How about some lunch? Simon recommended a little pub not far from here,” Barbara detoured to the bathroom telling Tommy she would see him downstairs.

Tommy stood at the front door of the cottage, remembering the many school holidays he had spent with Simon’s family here. Playing cricket in the paddock behind the house with the local boys. Simon’s father spraying them with the garden hose while they ran around the front lawn. He smiled at the memories. 

“What are you smiling at?” Barbara asked stopping to stand beside him. 

“Remembering times spent here with Simon and his family when I was a boy. Come on, I’m starving,” reversing out Tommy headed back the way they came and soon pulled up in front of a pub. The car park was about half full, so Tommy easily found a spot. 

“Good afternoon, may I help you?” A young girl behind the reception desk questioned as they walked inside.

“Yes, we do not have a reservation, but would you have a table for two?” Tommy asked, his hand resting lightly on Barbara’s lower back. Naturally, his charm got them a table immediately. 

“This way please,” she pulled two menus and a wine list from beneath the desk and walked into the restaurant. It was about half full and she led them to a table with two burgundy chairs sitting under a window. Tommy held out Barbara’s chair for her, before taking his own and accepting a menu from the young girl. 

“Steak sounds good,” Tommy said reading the menu “so does the fish,” 

“Steak pie with mash?” Barbara read as well. It had started somewhere around their third or fourth case together, offering suggestions for meals. 

“Roast pork, vegetables and apple sauce?” Tommy suggested to both their nods. The young girl came back, and Tommy ordered the garlic prawns and roast pork for them both.

“What are the vegetables?” he asked the young girl handing back the menus. “No carrots or peas thanks,” she nodded and scribbled on her note pad. 

“Are you ordering a drink?” Barbara asked, “I do not mind if you do, I’ll drive back,” Tommy handed over the keys and asked for a pint of beer.

“How are you feeling?” Tommy asked, “I like you in that, whatever that is,” he said indicating the outfit Barbara was wearing.

“Deborah tells me it’s a tunic, I think it is just a long top,” Barbara laughed and ordered a virgin bloody Mary when the young girl came back with Tommy’s beer.

“Still have the salty cravings?” Tommy asked nodding to the drink the waitress put on a small coaster. 

“Yes. Poor Denton has started buying the large jars of pickles and anchovies for me,” Tommy grinned, he had seen them in the fridge when he had gone on a midnight raid for Barbara. He did not want her tripping down the stairs in the dark. “I wonder if I will start craving sweets?”

“Well if you do, Denton will be pleased, he loves to bake. Unfortunately, I would be bursting out of all my suits if I did not curtail him.” The waitress cleared their plates and Tommy ordered two more drinks. 

“Well that works well, I love to eat. However, I am not supposed to put on too much weight, doctor’s orders.” Her pout at that news made Tommy laugh. 

“We will just have to work it off again,” he said unable to hide his amusement at Barbara’s blush. 

“Honestly you are insatiable,” he just shrugged, not denying the accusation. 

“Do you mind?” Tommy asked seriously, worried he may have been coming on too strong. That was the last thing he wanted. Barbara reached out and laid her hand over his.

“You have known me long enough to know if I minded I would say so. Besides, I have a sexy good looking man ravishing me on a very regular basis, what woman in her right mind would say no to that?” she asked smiling, a slight blush on her cheeks. 

“You keep saying things like that and you will not get your lunch,” Tommy warned, his jeans uncomfortably tight to her wicked grin.

“I am eating for three do not forget,” her grin was infectious.

“As if I could,” Tommy said as the waitress brought their lunch, the aroma made both their stomachs rumble. The pork was cooked to perfection and no carrots or peas Tommy noted. 

The waitress cleared their plates and brought the dessert menu to Barbara’s delight. She ordered some chocolate covered thing and a tea. Tommy was happy with just a black coffee. He did accept a spoonful of her dessert though, nodding in approval. 

“There is no point me offering to pay is there?” Barbara questioned as she finished her tea. Tommy just shook his head as he accepted the bill from the waitress, added a tip and handed her back the charge slip.

Thanking their young waitress, they walked back to the car, Barbara driving this time. They got lost a few times on the way back, but it did not matter, they had the whole weekend to get lost. 

“You put the kettle on, I need the bathroom,” she said dashing upstairs to Tommy’s laugh. Her bladder was the size of a pea right now. Doing as she bid, he walked to the back of the house and filled the kettle, switching it on. 

Walking back downstairs Barbara stood just outside the kitchen door and watched Tommy swish hot water in the teapot, a tea canister standing open on the bench beside him. She was right when she had said earlier what woman in her right mind would complain about this man making frequent and passionate love to her? 

He had shed his jacket and his grey jumper was stretched tight across his back and shoulders, the sleeves pushed up and his hair in need of a cut although Barbara rather liked it a little too long. She could run her fingers through it.

“Tea?” he asked turning to find Barbara watching him, “how about in the drawing-room and I can light the fire?” she nodded, standing aside so he could carry the tray into the other room. Putting it on the large square ottoman Tommy crouched down and scrunched up some newspaper and wedged it under the logs, setting it alight and soon the warmth permeated the whole room.

They got comfortable on the sofa, both full from lunch and watched the fire. Tommy loved that they could just sit and do nothing. 

“Thank you for lunch,” Barbara said quietly “it was lovely, but you do need to let me pay for things sometimes,” she could feel Tommy’s chuckle from where she was leaning against him. 

“When have I ever?” he questioned which Barbara had to admit was true. “Are you tired? Do you want a nap?” Tommy questioned. He well remembered how tied Helen used to get.

“No, but could you unlace my shoes,” Barbara asked, putting her ankles into his lap. 

“Swollen feet?” he asked Barbara nodded. He unlaced her canvas shoes and pulled them and her socks off. Tommy started to massage Barbara’s feet, digging his thumbs into the underneath to her groan.

“Oh, that is good,” she gasped as he found a particularly tight knot and worked on it, “I am at your mercy,” she gasped as the knots disappeared under his talented hands.

“Barbara, may I ask you a question?” Tommy asked nervously. Whatever had taken up residence in his belly, it was a lot larger than butterflies.

“Keep doing that and you can ask me anything,” she replied, eyes closed and a dreamy smile on her face. Tommy dropped her feet back onto the sofa to her rather annoyed “hey!” but he had dashed out of the room. Bathroom Barbara thought as Tommy had three beers at lunch and closed her eyes, listening to the floorboards upstairs creak from Tommy’s weight.

Tommy hurried into their room and retrieved the ring from where he had hidden it, he had wanted to make his proposal special, but the timing just seemed right, slipping it into his pocket he hurried back downstairs to find Barbara dozing on the sofa. 

She had turned her face towards the fire and her hands were clasped over her belly and his heart thought it would burst at the sight of her. He walked over and knelt on the floor beside her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Barbara opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

“Did you want something?” she asked curiously.

“Yes,” Tommy asked pulling the ring out of his pocket, nerves cramping his stomach as he presented her with the emerald and diamond ring.

“Barbara Anne Havers, would you marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has not finished, I fried my brain during Camp NaNo last month but it will have about 35 chapters so plenty more yet to come.  
> Thank you to everyone who is reading along <3


	16. A weekend in the country

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara and Tommy spend their engagement weekend in a cute little cottage in the country and get to know each other better as well as some fun times in the bathtub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776448/in/dateposted-public/)

“Thomas Lynley will you bloody let me GO!” Barbara snapped as she wiggled out of Tommy’s grasp and shrugged into her dressing gown as she dashed down the hallway, his laughter following behind her. 

“Rotten sod,” she grumbled as she dashed to the bathroom down the hall. “Bloody bladder,” even though her morning sickness had settled down, now she spent half her day in the bathroom. So far Barbara could not say the pregnancy was a great deal of fun and she was questioning why anyone would want to do this more than once. 

Sitting on the toilet, the early morning sun caught the emerald and diamonds on her left hand and colourful shards of light danced around the room. Flashes of light against the white tiles. Staring down at the magnificent ring on her finger, Barbara’s breath caught. 

She was glad she had been laying on the sofa when Tommy had presented her with this gorgeous ring and asked her to marry him. She had laughed when Deborah had suggested Tommy was considering marriage, but it turns out her friend had been right. A knock on the door startled Barbara from her thoughts.

“Are you alright Barbara?” Tommy’s slightly worried voice floated through the door.

“Yes fine, sorry,” Barbara flushed and opened the door, “I was just thinking,” smiling at Tommy as she washed her hands and hurried back to the bedroom. The old farmhouse was freezing and thankfully Tommy had lit the fire in the bedroom before he had gone looking for her. Crawling back under the covers Barbara could not keep her eyes off the ring. It matches your eyes Tommy had told her as he slid it onto her finger.

“You are not changing your mind are you?” Tommy asked from where he was leaning against the door jamb, the worry clear in his voice.

“No, of course not. Come back to bed, it is freezing,” Barbara lifted the covers in an invitation which Tommy gratefully accepted, the fire had not taken the chill off the room yet.

“I can change it, I mean if you, don’t like it,” Tommy said nervously to Barbara’s chuckle. 

“The hell you will, I love it,” she glanced down at the ring again “I honestly did not expect something like this,” Tommy just shrugged.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, it has a matching wedding band as well.”

“This is what the weekend was about?” Barbara asked, looking over at Tommy where he was snuggled under the blankets watching her in return.

“Yes, I wanted it to be a surprise. Simon was happy to suggest the cottage,” 

“So, Simon knows?” Tommy nodded “So I assume Deborah knows too?” he nodded again “who else?” Barbara demanded.

“Only Denton as I asked him to pack our bags,” Tommy could not prevent his chuckle remember Denton’s query. Barbara’s eyebrow quirked questioning his humour.

“Denton wanted to know if we were going to be leaving the cottage,” he laughed out loud at the blush that coloured Barbara’s cheeks.

“How many other dirty weekends away has he packed your weekender for you?” she asked grinning to Tommy’s shrug.

“A few, I have not lived the life of a monk Barbara,”

“Oh, that is fairly obvious,” she said laughter clear in her voice to his puzzled frown. “Oh, come on, you know your way around a woman’s body far too well not to have had a lot of practice,” 

“I would not go that far,” a slight blush coloured his cheeks to her delighted grin.

“Oh, I would,” she leaned forward and kissed him, “so, your first? You were a naughty schoolboy perhaps?” it was a guess but the deep flush that crept up Tommy’s neck and cheeks she knew she was right to her chuckle “You were!”

Barbara could not help her delighted grin at Tommy’s half-hearted scowl as he flopped onto his back staring at the ceiling.

“Well?” she poked him in the ribs and Tommy tried to evade her prodding fingers.

“Well, what?” Tommy knew damn well what she was getting at. He was not a Met Inspector for nothing. However, he had learnt previously that discussing his past lovers with his current lover always ended up in a full-blown argument.

“You honestly want to know about my previous lovers?” he asked hesitantly. “Isn’t that a little unusual?” Barbara just shrugged.

“Probably but our whole situation is highly unusual.” Barbara started playing with the sheets, a sure sign she was nervous. Tommy had worked out early on in their partnership she fiddled when she was unsure of something. “I mean, I do not know that much about you or your earlier life.”

Tommy knew she was right, honestly, they both had secrets. Not the earth-shattering type, just things they had not revealed to each other. 

“It was while I was at Eton, I was seventeen and I had my own Mrs Robinson moment,” he gave her a cheeky smirk and continued “I had missed a fair bit of school, due to my father’s illness. Ms Robinson…” 

“That was honestly her name?” Barbara interrupted to Tommy’s nod.

“Yes, Ms Arianna Robinson, she was one of our history teachers.” He chuckled at a memory, “Her name means chaste and she was most definitely did not live up to her name. I found out afterwards that she had,” Tommy paused to think of the word he wanted “Initiated all of the boys in their last year and at least half in my year,”

“Isn’t that illegal?” Barbara asked, humour lacing her voice. Tommy shrugged.

“Technically no, we were all over 17 but I highly doubt the Headmaster would have taken too kindly in learning that one of their teachers was seducing his schoolboys. We all kept quiet about it, no one wanted to be the boy responsible for Ms Robinson leaving the school.” He grinned and Barbara could see him as a young schoolboy.

“Were you a fast learner?” she questioned smirking.

“Oh yes, I got top marks, but you know I had to be thorough,” he was unable to keep the smirk off his face to Barbara’s chuckle. “It was fun but that is all it was,” Barbara laughed at the look on his face. “How about your first time?” Tommy asked, figuring turn around was fair play. However, by the look on Barbara’s face was not a happy memory. “You do not have to tell me,”

“I went to a party with some other people from University, I do not even remember who they are now. I got drunk and,” she paused taking a deep breath “and I believed his lies. All I remember after that was him dropping me off at the end of my street and driving off. I never saw him again.” The look of fury on Tommy’s face told her all she needed to know. It was a memory Barbara would rather forget. 

“I am so sorry Barbara,” Tommy said quietly to her smile.

“Not everyone is as much of a gentleman as you,” he grinned in return. 

“I can be a leech if you would prefer?” Tommy asked pushing Barbara onto her back and grinning down at her. Her elfin grin spread across her face and his heart thumped at the sight. Leaning down he kissed her, getting caught up in the moment until her stomach very loudly let them know it had not been fed yet to Tommy’s laughter. 

“Food first? It does seem our babies are hungry. Do you want the first shower?” he asked. The cottage was beautiful but besides a new boiler and updated plumbing the cottage had not been changed since Simon’s grandparents had bought it, so there was still only one full bathroom.

“I will go and make us some tea and toast, you go shower,” Barbara said, dropping a quick kiss on Tommy’s lips and climbing out of bed before he could grab her again, shoving her feet into slippers and dragging on a dressing gown as she dashed downstairs. 

The old cottage was freezing so she quickly filled the kettle and put it on the hob to boil while pulling out mugs and tea bags. She dropped bread into a toaster and pulled butter and milk from the fridge. Normally Denton dealt with breakfast, but Barbara could at least manage toast. Unbidden the memory of her hiding her clean knickers in the cutlery drawer made her smile. Tommy had been such a gentleman about it and his parting comment of “good toast” had made her smile for days. There had been thousands of little moments like that over their partnership, things that made her smile or her heart do somersaults. 

There had also been some huge fights, Winston often complained they argued like an old married couple, but Barbara was not one to back down when she was on a lead, to Tommy’s frustration. However, they had the highest closure rate at the Met, so Hillier was prepared to be somewhat lenient which she was positive was thanks to Tommy’s influence. 

Buttering the toast and filling the teapot, Barbara put it all on a tray and carefully carried it upstairs just as Tommy pushed open the bathroom door to a cloud of steam. He was wrapped in his dark blue dressing gown, but his feet were bare. Before she could protest, he had taken the tray from her and strode down the hall to their room, nudging the door open with his hip. The room had thankfully warmed up and Tommy put the breakfast tray on the table under the window. 

“Your speciality I see,” Tommy said giving her that heart-stopping smile of his and biting into a slice of toast. “Simon recommended a restaurant nearby I thought we could try it, a celebratory lunch, what do you think?” he poured their tea as Barbara gathered her toiletries.

“Sounds good to me, I’m off for a shower,” she grabbed a piece of toast and disappeared down the hall towards the bathroom.

Tommy pulled back the heavy curtains and drank his tea staring out the window. It looked like it was going to be a nice day, but it was still cold. Pouring a second cup, he walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and his purple jumper. His leather jacket was still downstairs with his boots where he had left both the previous night.

“Bloody hell this house is cold,” Barbara complained as she shut the bedroom door behind her and shivered in front of the fire. Tommy handed her a mug of tea.

“Just you wait until you experience Howenstow in the winter,” he chuckled “the clifftop location gives us stunning views over the coast but does nothing to keep the house warm, that is why all the rooms have fireplaces. We would have frozen to death before now otherwise,”

“What was it like?” Barbara asked pulling out jeans and a thick grey jumper. “Growing up in a house like that. Please note I did not call it a pile!” she grinned at the look of horror on Tommy’s face as he grabbed at his heart.

“It was amazing. We had a brilliant childhood by the sea. We learned to ride and sail. Swimming in the summer and hiking in the winter. Tobogganing when it snowed, which was not that often, so our father replaced the runners for us, so it ran on the grass. Decorating the huge Christmas trees throughout the house.” It was clear that Tommy’s childhood held happy memories and suddenly Barbara desperately wanted that for their kids, and she knew she could not do it on her own, they deserved their father.

“It sounds wonderful, a perfect boy’s playground?” it made Barbara think of her childhood and wonderful was not the name she would have applied to it. She knew one day she would have to tell Tommy the whole truth about her upbringing but not this weekend.

“It had its unhappy moments too,” Tommy said pulling his jumper over his head, painful memories of his father’s illness and his mother’s infidelity were just two of them “but yes it is an amazing place to bring up kids, however, we both have responsibilities in London but we could easily spend holidays down there with mother?” 

“She would like that, I’m glad you two are working on your relationship,” Barbara said to Tommy’s nod. “Have you,” she paused again “have you told her yet? About this,” she patted her stomach. She did not have much of a bump yet, but it would be impossible to hide soon.

“No, not yet I was thinking we could tell her next weekend at her birthday dinner?” Barbara sat on the side of the bed and looked up at him.

“I do not want to ruin your mother’s birthday dinner,” Barbara pleaded “We could just phone her?” Tommy crouched down in front of her, taking her hands in his.

“Barbara, I know this is all daunting and rushed but she will be delighted. You know she likes you and she will be over the moon to be a grandmother again; she adores Judith’s girls.” Tommy explained, rubbing his thumbs over the back of her hands. 

“I do not want to argue,” she replied but Tommy could see she was still worried about telling his family. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind Barbara’s ear.

“I do not want to argue either Barbara, but we have to make a decision,” Tommy stood, pulling Barbara up with him. “I made a reservation with the restaurant; we can talk there?” nodding Barbara grabbed her bag and jacket and followed Tommy downstairs so he could put on his boots and jacket. Taking her hand, they walked out to the car, and typically Tommy opened the door for Barbara, making sure she was buckled in.

The restaurant was a ten-minute drive and Barbara spent the time trying to think of how to convey her worries to Tommy without it becoming an argument. She did not want to argue with him but right now her emotions were close to the surface and he could be frustratingly logical at times. Tommy had never been one to discount her fears in the past, she just hoped he would see it from her point of view. 

Tommy pulled into a parking space close to the front door, there were only three other cars in the car park and hurried around to open her door to her slight smile.

“What?” he asked as he shut the door behind her.

“I need you to ask you something, but we can talk inside,” she said tucking her arm through his and walking into the restaurant. A young man greeted them, and Tommy told him they had a booking as he checked their reservations book. 

“This way Mr Lynley, we have your table ready,” he picked up leather menus and a smaller wine list and led Tommy and Barbara through a maze of tables to a booth at the back of the room near the fireplace. “May I take your coats?” he asked, and they handed them over, sliding into the booth as he handed them menus and left them alone. 

“So, what did you want to ask me?” Tommy said not bothering with his menu at the moment. Barbara’s slight blush made his curious as to what her question was.

“I want you to teach the babies your manners,” she asked, her direct gaze letting Tommy know she was serious 

“Of course, I will, although if they are like me, they will not appreciate it much as a child,” his grin was infectious. 

“I know but I have always admired your beautiful manners. It comes so naturally to you. We had better look at the menus,” Barbara subtly tilted her head to the side to indicate the young man was waiting for them.

At Tommy’s slight nod of his head, the waiter hurried over to take their orders. Tommy ordered the oysters to Barbara’s grimace and steak with chips and vegetables. Barbara went with the prawns and fish of the day. Tommy studied the wine menu and to Barbara’s gasp of astonishment, he ordered them a bottle of champagne. 

“A special occasion Sir?” the young man asked politely to Tommy’s happy smile.

“Yes, this lovely lady agreed to marry me last night,” Barbara could feel her cheeks heating with a blush, but the young man just smiled down at them.

“Congratulations Sir and Madam, I’ll bring your champagne in a moment,” he hurried off with their orders and was back in a moment with a silver wine bucket half-filled with ice with a champagne bottle shoved into it. He hurried off again and brought back two champagne flutes and poured them each a glass. 

“Congratulations future Mrs Lynley,” Tommy clinked his glass against Barbara’s to her slightly shell shocked look. “What’s wrong?” he asked taking a sip.

“Nothing really, I guess that just takes some getting used to.” She sipped her champagne “keys” she demanded and put her hand out. She was only allowed one glass, so the rest of the bottle was Tommy’s so no way was he driving back to the cottage. He pulled them out of his pocket and dropped them into her hand. “I never imagined I would ever get married or have children. It is a little overwhelming, can you understand that?” she asked. 

“I do understand Barbara,” Tommy reached over and took her hand in his “but I swear to you I will always be there for all, no let me finish,” he shook his head, knowing she was ready to interrupt, he knew her far too well but grinned at her scowl. “I have a deplorable record with women as you well know, but even if we do not work out, and we both know it is possible, you and the babies will be taken care of for life.”

“I do not doubt that Tommy, I never did. What worries me is how your family are going to react.” He could see the worry in her eyes, he had always been able to read Barbara’s emotions in her eyes. 

“What exactly are you worried about, talk to me Barbara,” he lightly ordered as she sipped her champagne. Their waiter brought their entrees and Barbara asked for a sparkling water as he went to fill her champagne again. Nodding he retreated. 

“So many things Tommy, sometimes I cannot turn my brain off. It is all too sudden and, it is so overwhelming. Three months ago, I knew where my life was heading, now it feels like the rug has been pulled out from underneath me. I,” she paused and sipped her champagne again and dipped a prawn into the sauce, “I suppose I just feel out of my depth.”

“I do understand that Barbara, believe me, this has thrown me too. We’ve been partners for nearly ten years, we can get through this as well. I have faith in us, you just need to trust me, please,” it was that unsure pleading in his voice that broke Barbara. Tommy never sounded unsure.

“Of course, I trust you, with my life if need be.” She forked up another prawn.

“It will not come to that, I cannot lose you it would destroy me,” he admitted with total honesty. Helen’s death had been devastating and he would always regret it. Tommy had come to the conclusion months before that whatever they had once shared it was over. They could hardly be in the same room for more than half an hour before they started arguing over something stupid. 

“I am also worried about how your mother will react. I know you say she likes me but as your work colleague. How will she react to this?” Barbara rather wished they were at the cottage so she could pace. “To someone like me as a daughter in law?” seeing the raw pain in her eyes Tommy wished they were home so he could hold her. Instead, he had to settle for holding her hand in his across the table.

“She will adore having someone like you, as you put it, as a daughter in law.” Tommy finished his oysters and poured another glass of champagne. He knew what he needed to do but his pride was stupidly getting in the way. No man wants to discuss his failed first marriage with his fiancée. 

“I’m no Helen though, am I?” Barbara finally admitted her fear, worry lines creasing her forehead “I’m ill-mannered and rude. Pushy and stubborn and have lousy fashion sense.” 

“No, you are not. You’re smart and funny, you have a huge heart and a wicked sense of humour, you are fiercely protective, quite the Mumma bear.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “Helen was far from perfect and I am not saying I was much of a husband either, but we were heading for divorce long before her death. Maybe if we had she would still be alive?” sipping his champagne Tommy got his thoughts in order.

“I have known Helen since she was seventeen. We were great friends and we should have stayed friends. Instead, I convinced myself I was in love with her and well you know what a disaster that turned out be. My father always said pride comes before a fall, and I was too proud to admit I had made a monumental mistake by marrying her.” Tommy finally looked up from where he had been playing with his fork.

“Am I a disaster?” Barbara asked quietly as Tommy shook his head.

“No, you are probably the smartest thing I have ever done. I’m not saying it is going to be easy and that we will not argue but you have my permission to beat me over the head with a rolling pin if necessary,” Barbara laughed at that and nodded. 

“Thank you, that does help. I know I’m being illogical, but my emotions are all over the place at the moment. If you want to tell your family next weekend then I am okay with that too,” the waiter cleared their plates and disappeared again. 

“You have every right to be as illogical as you want to be,” Tommy toasted her again to her smile “I can’t promise you easy Barbara, we know each other too well for that, but if we promise to talk to each other, hell yell if necessary but not to bottle things up then we stand a good chance, deal?”

“Deal!” Barbara replied feeling relieved just as their waiter brought their meals. “So, you mother’s dinner, are you wearing your posh togs?” the innocence in her question made Tommy laugh.

“Yes, it’s a posh togs invitation.” He smirked “I rather like your reaction to my formal attire,” he winked at her to Barbara’s flush. They were both remembering the Met Christmas party.

“Honestly it doesn’t make any difference what you wear,” Barbara admitted a cheeky grin brightening her face.

“Oh really!” Tommy’s eyebrows nearly disappeared under his hair at that admission “Do tell me more,” that broad happy smile was full of wicked mischief.

“Oh no, your ego is inflated enough it doesn’t need any help from me.” Barbara shook her head to his disappointment

“That’s not all that is inflated,” he admitted to Barbara’s bark of laughter, humour sparkling in her eyes. 

“Eat your lunch and I might reward you later,” she teased to Tommy’s amazement. It was clear she was becoming far more comfortable with him and he loved it. 

“I will hold you to that,” Tommy replied as he sliced into his steak. He loved how she was opening up more and more to him and that cheeky elfin smile made his heart thump. How could this woman possibly not see how amazing she was? She brightened his life every day and honestly, she had done so for years. 

They had coffee and dessert, but it was clear Barbara was tied, she looked exhausted however Tommy was smart enough to keep that to himself. Telling a pregnant woman, she looked tied was reasonable grounds for murder, so he kept quiet and signalled their waiter for the bill and their coats. Reading over the bill Tommy frowned and waited for their waiter to return, their coats draped over his arm.

“The champagne is not on the bill,” Tommy pointed out to the young man’s smile.

“No Sir, the champagne is on the house with our congratulations,” before Tommy could argue he plucked his credit card from Tommy’s fingers and finalised the sale, thanking them both for coming. 

“Are you fine to drive?” Tommy asked helping Barbara with her coat to her glare.

“I had one glass; you had the rest! Yes, I’m fine to drive,” she jangled the keys to his exaggerated eye roll and got into the car. Barbara had always loved driving the Bristol, it handled beautifully.

“What are you chuckling at?” Tommy asked curiously as to Barbara’s humour.

“Oh, just thinking how you are going get two baby capsules into your car? You may need to trade it in?” she casually said, sure of Tommy’s reaction.

“This car is a classic Barbara, a classic. You cannot just trade that in,” Barbara somehow managed to keep a straight face at Tommy’s indignant blustering. “You’ll keep!” he threatened to her laughter as they pulled into the driveway for the cottage. 

Barbara had dozed off on the sofa in the drawing-room where Tommy had lit the fire after they got home. Tucking a blanket around her he disappeared upstairs to run a bath. The old bathroom had been updated but thankfully they had kept the big old claw-footed bathtub, at six foot two inches he needed all the room he could get. Heading downstairs again he checked in on Barbara who was still dozing and hurried to the study, heading for the old drinks cabinet and retrieved a bottle of scotch and a glass. 

Pulling a small stool closer to the bath and checking the water level, Tommy picked up a couple of the bottles on the vanity sniffed a few of them, deciding an outdoorsy smelling bath oil and added a liberal amount, the water immediately frothed up to his grin. One indulgence Tommy had never given up was his love of a good bubble bath.

Heading back to their room Tommy stripped off, shrugged into his bathrobe and grabbed a novel off the table beside the bed and headed back down the hall. He rather missed the convenience of having an en-suite, but a bath was a bath.

Putting his book on the small stool and pouring a glass of scotch Tommy hung up his robe and stepped into the bath, turning the water off. It was hot and made his skin tingle in the heat as he picked up his book and started reading.

“Come in,” he called out as light knock on the door caught Tommy’s attention and he was shocked to realise he had been in the tub for nearly an hour and Barbara’s head poked around the door frame.

“Here you are, I’ve been searching and searching,” he smiled at that.

“The cottage isn’t that large Barbara and yes the bath and a book were calling to me. How did you sleep?” he asked as Barbara pulled up the second small stool from beside the vanity.

“For longer than I thought, do you want your back washed?” Tommy nodded and marking his place dropped the book onto the stool beside his empty glass and handed Barbara a washcloth and sat forward. The bath gel was cold but warmed up quickly as she ran the cloth over his back.

“What is the scar from?” she asked trailing a finger along a scar on Tommy’s back, just near his shoulder blade.

“I fell from a horse when I was ten,” he replied in a sleepy voice. “I have one inside my knee too, different fall,”

“You are not nodding off to sleep are you?” Barbara whispered.

“I might be,” Tommy replied leaning back against the tub, his head resting on the rim “what are you going to do about it?”

Shaking her head, Barbara leaned down and kissed him, a bit awkward at that angle but he was hard to resist when he was wet and naked, his dark hair curling against his neck in the steam of the bathroom. The constant look of exhaustion that Tommy wore had disappeared and he looked younger. 

“Oh I have a few ideas,” Barbara told him picking up the washcloth and his arm and continued her administrations. She could not help her smile at the sight of Tommy dozing off in the bath as she delved under the water, washing his foot and ankle, her hand climbing higher and higher.

“That is not my foot,” he muttered, a grin dancing across his face.

“Are you sure?” Barbara asked innocently having disregarded the cloth for her hand and he was correct, it was not his foot. “It could be twelve inches?” Tommy’s bark of laughter echoed around the bathroom.

“Not even close but thank you for the compliment,” the grin was now a full-blown smile as Barbara teased him beneath the warm water.

Where this seductive minx had come from Tommy was not sure but he was not complaining. He had always known Barbara had a ribald sense of humour, she had livened up more than one boring stakeout with her dry humour. However, this habit of boldly taking what she wanted, particularly if what she wanted was him, was new and Tommy was loving it. Like most men, he was all for a woman taking charge. 

“Are you quite sure about that?” she whispered in his ear as she slowly drove him mad. Her hand doing all sorts of very interesting manoeuvres under the water. 

“Very,” he gasped to her delighted grin “but please continue,” she was driving him slowly mad.

“No peeking!” Barbara ordered in Tommy’s ear to his nod and grin. Swiftly Barbara undressed, piling her clothes on the vanity as she suspected they were about to flood the bathroom floor. For good measure, she moved the whisky bottle, glass and Tommy’s novel to higher ground as well. There was no way Barbara could climb safely into the bath without Tommy’s help.

“I’m going to need your help so I don’t kill myself trying this,” she grumbled to Tommy’s smirk as he realised what she was trying to do. He put his hand out and helped her climb into the bath with him. Even with her teasing, he had not expected her to boldly wrap her hand around his hardness and lower herself onto him, smirking as his long drawn out moan.

“You’re going to kill me!” he gasped as she slowly started to move.

“Do you mind?” she leaned forward and whispered in his ear “Sir,” Tommy was damn sure he was never going to hear that word again and not be ramrod hard which could cause difficulties around the Met.

“Not in the slightest,” he put his hands on Barbara’s hips, letting her take control. She is gorgeous Tommy thought watching Barbara move above him. The steam in the bathroom had made the ends of her hair curl in the dampness and her face was flushed from the heat. Her nipples were hard and flushed as Tommy cupped them, rubbing his thumb over them to her gasp. He ran his hands over her belly, still amazed their babies rested there. 

Grinning fiendishly Tommy let his hands stroke over Barbara’s belly and lower, to where they were joined and teased to Barbara’s gasp and a wicked grin. Why had it taken him so long to realise this woman was his equal, in everything. 

“You are a wicked man,” Barbara said grinning down at Tommy, a look of amusement on his face. 

“Me? You’re the one who accosted me in the bath,” he said tugging Barbara down for a kiss, devouring her mouth as he was devouring her body.

“Well a wet naked Tommy is one of my favourite things,” Barbara smirked at Tommy’s laughter.

“Is that right,” that wicked smirk warned Barbara her brand new fiancé was up to mischief, to her total agreement as he grabbed her hips and started to thrust harder, the water sloshing in the bathtub and onto the floor but honestly Barbara did not care.

Sex in the bath was a challenge but it was worth it as far as Barbara was concerned as they moved in tandem, Tommy’s hands teasing her nipples or spread over her belly, it was as if he could not stop touching her. 

“I’m not going to last,” Tommy admitted to Barbara’s grin as she leaned down and kissed him again, undulating her hips to drive him closer to the edge “oh damn!” Tommy moaned, wanting this to last but Barbara was just too tempting. Grabbing her hips Tommy lost control and flooded her depths, panting as if he had been chasing criminals. 

Barbara was not far behind him and Tommy was captivated as he watched the pleasure dance across her face before she collapsed on his chest. The water was fast cooling but Tommy was in no mood to move just yet as he helped Barbara get more comfortable and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her head.

“Well as much as that was fun, I’m cold,” Barbara announced as she carefully sat up.

“Stay there, let me get out first,” Tommy ordered and helped Barbara move so he could climb out, surprisingly the floor was not as wet as he expected it would be but he did not want Barbara slipping. 

Grabbing a towel Tommy wrapped it around his hips and helped Barbara out of the tub, wrapping one around her as well. She was adorably rumbled and was wearing a cat that got the cream type grin.

“Come on, let’s go and get dressed, I think I need to keep my energy levels up,” Tommy dodged Barbara’s playful slap and they hurried down the hall to the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this chapter being so late, I fried my brain last month on Camp NaNo with 35K words but my brain is charged and ready to go.


	17. Lady Asherton is not amused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Barbara both have revealing conversations with his mother Dorothy and finally admit they love each other... just not too each other!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667519541/in/dateposted-public/)  
> 

They had made good time from London and Tommy was pulling up to the rear entrance at Howenstow around ten that night. Barbara had nodded off to sleep in the passenger seat and he spent a few minutes just watching her. She was often tired these days, so Tommy was reluctant to wake her. A light flicked on and Tommy saw his mother hurrying towards them. He climbed out of the car and walked towards her.

“Tommy, you made it,” she opened her arms to him, and he hugged her tightly.

“Of course, I did, but you knew I would be here after you spoke to Hillier?” she laughed at his accusation because it was true. 

“I knew he would not make you work on your mother’s birthday weekend,” she tucked her arm through his and walked back towards the car. “Such a dear man,” Tommy nearly choked at that but kept quiet. Barbara had woken and was climbing out of the Bristol as Tommy and Dorothy walked to the boot to retrieve the luggage. 

“Barbara dear, how are you?” Dorothy enveloped her in a hug, thankfully Barbara’s thick jacket hid her belly until they were ready to tell Tommy’s mother. 

“I’m fine Lady… sorry Dorothy,” Barbara quickly corrected herself to Dorothy’s smile, it was so like Tommy’s.

“That is better now do come inside it is still too cold out here,” she led the way back to the house, Tommy carrying their bags which he left in the hall at the bottom of the stairs and followed his mother into the kitchen. 

“Tea?” she asked busying herself before they had replied.

“Dorothy if you don’t mind, I think I will turn in,” Barbara said, knowing Tommy wanted to speak to his mother in private. 

“Of course, Tommy, can you show Barbara to her room please?” Dorothy asked as she set out tea paraphernalia and waited for the kettle to boil.

“Of course, mother, I will be back shortly,” he put his hand on Barbara’s lower back and directed her to the stairs, picking up their bags on the way, and leading her down to his room.

“That was smooth,” he said grinning at her as he pushed open the bedroom door “Getting out of tea with mother. Here we are,” he stepped inside to let Barbara in however she stopped in shock just inside the door. 

“Your bedroom is bigger than my entire flat!” Tommy laughed at the disgruntled tone in her voice. 

“It is your room now too, the bathroom is through that door,” he nodded to a door on the other side of the room. “We can unpack tomorrow,” he did, however, hang the suit bag up so their posh togs as Barbara called them, would not get wrinkled. “Try to get some sleep, I will not be too long,” he kissed Barbara lightly and left her to get ready for bed and went back downstairs to the kitchen to speak with his mother.

Tommy paused on the upper landing, remembering growing up in this beautiful old house. Playing with his siblings in the playroom in bad weather and learning to ride and sail in the summer months. He was determined to spend more time here with the babies, divide their time between here and London. Maybe it was about time to take the leave he was entitled to instead of letting it accumulate. 

“Ah, there you are,” Dorothy greeted Tommy walked back into the kitchen. She had laid out sandwiches and cake as well as the old teapot Tommy remembered from his childhood. “Let's eat in the drawing-room, the fire is going,” Tommy picked up the tea tray and followed his mother into the other room. 

He put the tray on a small table between two leather chairs and sat back as Dorothy poured them both tea, handing Tommy a cup and saucer, he managed to hide his smirk at the dainty floral cup but the tea was hot and strong and helped wake him up after the long drive.

“I have some news for you.” Tommy put his cup down, nerves taking flight in his stomach. “It is rather unexpected, but we wanted you to be the first to know,”

“Tommy, just tell me,” humour colouring Dorothy’s voice. “You are not twelve any longer,” taking a deep breath Tommy blurted out their news.

“Barbara is pregnant,” seeing the shocked look on his mother’s face Tommy hurried on “We got engaged last weekend. I was going to announce it at dinner tomorrow night.”

“Pregnant!” Dorothy stammered sure she had misheard her son “Barbara? Your work colleague?” at Tommy’s nod she continued “I had no idea you were seeing each other,” Tommy was dreading the upcoming conversation, but his mother deserved the truth.

“We weren’t, seeing each other that is. It was unplanned,” Tommy did not like that look on his mother’s face, it reminded him far too keenly of the look she had worn when he had broken her favourite vase when he was eight. “Our one night together happened after the Met Christmas party,” he admitted looking directly at his mother. 

“Honestly Tommy, isn’t that a little careless?” Dorothy demanded angrily “I would have thought by your age you would be well aware of protection,” she started to pace the room, agitation clear by her every movement.

“Careless or not the fact is Barbara is carrying my child and has agreed to marry me,” Tommy tried to keep his tone even, but he was not going to tolerate his mother blaming this on Barbara. He had also kept to himself that Barbara was carrying twins. He wanted to drop that little bombshell at dinner tomorrow night. 

“You do realise that marriage traditionally comes before the babies don’t you Tommy?” Dorothy snapped turning to face her son. 

“Yes, mother and we are intending to marry before then. I was hoping to have the wedding here, however, we can always have it in London and save the trip,” he was fast losing his temper “I mistakenly thought you would be delighted to have more grandchildren to spoil.”

“That is not the point,” Dorothy replied as Tommy got to his feet.

“It is exactly the point and so help me if you dare mention our social standing I swear we will leave tomorrow and not return,” by the look on his face Dorothy knew her son was serious. They had only just started to get their relationship back on track.

“I was not even thinking it,” Dorothy denied hotly “Clearly you have had time to get used to the idea. You have just thrown it at me, and yes it is a shock, Tommy.” Dorothy walked over to the small drinks trolley and poured them both a whisky. 

“Are you truly happy with the situation?” Dorothy asked handing Tommy the glass “Is this what you want?” Tommy knew his mother well enough to pick up the worry in her voice. It was only natural to worry about your children he supposed. “Come and talk to me,” she tugged him over to a sofa and sat, patting the cushions beside her.

Tommy sat beside his mother, sipping his whisky and getting his thoughts in order. He would admit if only to himself, it had been his stubborn pride that had stopped him talking to his mother about his disastrous marriage. However, after Dr Trenarrow’s death, they had been trying to put their estrangement behind them.

“Yes, I want this, I want a life with Barbara and children with her. I know we are doing it backwards and it was unexpected but well,” Tommy hesitated not sure how to make sense of his feelings for Barbara “She completes me I suppose, no matter how cliché that sounds. I do not feel that I have to change who I am to be what she wants. My marriage to Helen was a mistake from the very first, actually probably while we were still dating.”

Dorothy leaned over and kissed his cheek to his sad smile. Even though they had a strained relationship for years, he was still her darling boy.

“Then why did you marry Helen?” Dorothy asked quietly. She had liked her former daughter in law and had thought her and Tommy had been a good match, but it was becoming clear that was not the case. Tommy could not sit still any longer and started pacing the room.

“We had been friends for years. We came from similar backgrounds. I thought we would be a good match and I did love her.” Tommy implored his mother to understand “What I had not bargained on her unreasonable jealousy and pettiness. Any time Barbara and I had to go away for a case it was a constant bombardment of telephone calls and unfounded accusations when I returned home. Work became an escape which meant I spent more time with Barbara, and it became intolerable. When Helen told me she was pregnant I was not as thrilled as I should have been but,” he stopped pacing and sat back down, sipping the whisky, “I did want the baby, for all this,” Tommy indicated the room they were sitting in and by extension, the estate “To carry on the family line. We tried when she came back, to make it work, but it felt forced and,” Tommy dropped his gaze studying the carpet “Even sex was not enough to save our marriage so, even if she had not died, Helen and I were heading for divorce.” Dorothy stood and wrapped her arms around Tommy’s shoulders, remembering when she could do this without him being seated, and hugged him to her, dropping a kiss onto his head.

“I am so sorry Tommy; I had no idea.” Dorothy kissed his head again, brushing his hair back. “And Barbara?” she asked taking a seat again and watching Tommy’s whole demeanour change as he spoke of his partner. He sat up straighter, uncrossed his arms and his eyes sparkled with humour. _He loves her_ Dorothy thought not even bothering trying to hide her smile at the thought. 

“We bicker and argue constantly, being pregnant has done nothing to tame Barbara’s temper, it has only made it worse,” he said to Dorothy’s chuckle “It is work-related, not personal. Barbara has a unique policing style, making intuitive leaps which I have learned to listen to. She has a huge heart and a stubborn streak as wide as the Thames. She is also more than a little terrified about this huge change in our lives. I have not prodded but I do not think her family life was ideal. She will be an amazing mother.” Tommy finished his whisky and put the glass on the table.

“And you love her?” Dorothy told her son to his mile-wide smile.

“Yes, I love her,” he chuckled “That is the first time I have said it out loud, it feels good to finally admit it,”

“Then tell her, she has a right to know,” Dorothy kissed his cheek, “Now go upstairs to your fiancée, we can discuss wedding plans tomorrow after your announcement,” Tommy hugged his mother, feeling lighter than he had in days and hurried upstairs.

He stood for a few minutes watching Barbara sleep before pulling his pyjamas and toothbrush from his weekender and heading to the bathroom. Staring at himself in the mirror Tommy could not hold back a megawatt grin.

Climbing into bed, he pulled Barbara into his arms, kissed her temple and drifted off to sleep.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The babies dancing on her bladder had woken Barbara early, their room was just starting to lighten as she had hurried to the bathroom. Crawling back into bed she watched Tommy sleep. His hair was a rumbled mess and stubble decorated his face. Thick eyelashes lay against his cheeks and he was lightly snoring. They were between cases, which was rare so the normal exhaustion evident on Tommy’s face was missing. She still had to find out how they had managed two weekends off in a row, smirking she thought of the direction that interrogation may take. 

As he had done all the driving last night Barbara let him sleep in and climbed out of bed again, pulled on her dressing gown and slippers and crept from the room thinking a cup of tea was in order. After a few wrong turns but she soon found the kitchen and filled the kettle, setting it to boil and eventually after opening and closing a few cupboards found cups and tea bags.

“Good morning Barbara,” at Dorothy’s greeting Barbara nearly dropped the cup, she turned, hand on her chest, her heart thumping.

“Dorothy, you startled me,” Barbara clutched her dressing gown tighter about her as if it would hide her secret from Tommy’s mother. “I was just making tea,” she held up the box of tea bags unnecessarily. 

“Oh, not that tea dear,” Dorothy pulled down a tea canister “You go and sit, I’ll make us tea,” before Barbara could say a word Dorothy gently pushed her towards the breakfast table and fussed around making them a pot of tea. “How did you sleep?” she asked pouring hot water over the leaves.

“Fine thanks,” Barbara replied but she had been a copper long enough to know that was no innocent query. “Tommy told you, didn’t he?” Barbara asked as Dorothy put the teapot on the table and took a seat across from Barbara. 

“Yes, he told me last night.” Dorothy poured their tea “I am so very happy for you both,” Dorothy reached over and squeezed Barbara’s hand. “So, when are you due?” it was clear Dorothy was settling in for a good old fashioned natter. 

“Sometime late September the doctor thinks but as she says babies come when they want to” too late Barbara realised her slip of the tongue, but Dorothy did not pick up on it.

“Oh yes, Tommy was two weeks early and Judith was a week late. Only Peter arrived on time. Babies have their timetable and there is not much we can do about it,” Dorothy went to a beautiful old buffet and pulled open a drawer, pulling out a piece of paper. “This is the menu for tonight, is there anything there I need to amend?”

“Dorothy please do not fuss over me. I can just avoid the shellfish, but the fish sounds wonderful. Is that your famous chocolate pudding?” Dorothy nodded with a slight blush.

“Yes, it is Tommy and Peter’s favourite. I did try to teach them to make it themselves but…” at her shoulder shrug, Barbara laughed.

“You tried to teach Tommy to bake?” Barbara could not keep the amusement from her voice. “Oh, I will bet that was challenging?”

“That is one word for it.” Dorothy laughed, “For all the amazing things my sons can do, cooking is not one of them. Tommy’s favourite thing for dinner is reservations.” Barbara nodded in agreement 

“Luckily we have Denton as I’m a lousy cook too,” Barbara sipped her tea.

“You have moved into Tommy’s townhouse?” Barbara nodded “Yes a few weeks ago, I’ve rented out my flat to a colleague. Dorothy, are you alright?” Barbara asked worriedly. 

“Yes of course. It is nothing.” Barbara was not buying it. The older lady was upset over something.

“Dorothy, please tell me, what is wrong?” Barbara asked hiding her worry.

“It just,” she hesitated “It feels like Tommy is still excluding me from what is happening in his life in London,”

“Oh, Dorothy no, it was me who did not want to tell you. I was worried about how you would react. Please do not blame Tommy,” Barbara begged his mother.

“How I would react? To what? Having more grandbabies to spoil?” 

“No,” Barbara took a deep breath and blurted out “How you’d react to having someone like me as a daughter in law,”

“Someone like you?” Barbara could hear the slight edge to Dorothy’s voice.

“Yes, I grew up in Acton in a tiny two up and two down and went to the local comprehensive not this,” Barbara wrapped her hands around her teacup. Dorothy was not one for mugs. “I was trying to get my head around it, please do not blame Tommy.” 

“This is just a family home, Barbara. Yes, generations of Lynley’s have lived here but that is all it is. Come let me show you,” holding her hand out Barbara reluctantly took it and Dorothy led Barbara out of the kitchen and upstairs.

“We can add your baby’s height to this too,” Dorothy led Barbara to a door jamb to her confusion but Dorothy pointed out small notches in the wood with initials and dates. “I started recording my children’s heights as soon as they could stand on their own.” Dorothy ran her fingers over the notches, clearly remembering when each notch was added. “This was their playroom in bad weather,” she said pushing open a door.

The room was huge, bookshelves covered the lower half of the walls, some with clear storage tubs and others with children’s books. A huge chalkboard was on the sidewall with alphabet animals parading around the room. Large windows made the room bright and windows on both walls would have kept it cool with them open. 

“Dorothy, it is…” Barbara was speechless “I’ve never seen anything like it.” She could not stop staring at the room where Tommy had played as a child.

“We have an amazing location here overlooking the cliffs however when the storms blow in the children could not play outside so we turned this room into their playroom. Come on,” Dorothy led her downstairs to the great hall at the front of the house. “We have held Christmas here, not just for the family but the estate workers as well, for over three hundred years. Everyone chips in and we have an enormous Christmas tree over there.” Dorothy took both of Barbara’s hands in hers “You see Barbara it’s a home. Yes, I will admit it is a little larger than most and with a very long history, but it is not just a showpiece it’s our home and now it is your home too.”

To her horror, Barbara could feel her throat closing up with emotion and tears stung her eyes. She had not celebrated Christmas for the last few years, not since her mother had passed on and even before that there was not much point. Her mother had no idea who she was or that it was Christmas Day. 

Barbara desperately wanted what Dorothy took for granted, Christmas and holidays spent in this wonderful old home. Watching her children run downstairs in excitement on Christmas morning. She wanted everything that Tommy had told her about growing up here.

“Thank you,” she said horrified when her voice broke and the tears that had threatened broke free. She found herself pulled into Dorothy’s arms and hugged tightly; it was clear where Tommy got it from. 

“Can I just ask you one question?” Dorothy asked when she let go. Barbara nodded. “Do you love my son?”

“More than I would have ever thought possible,” Barbara replied with no hesitation and to Dorothy’s megawatt smile. 

“Then welcome to the family my dear, come let’s start breakfast, Tommy will be up soon,” arm in arm they headed back to the kitchen. 


	18. Lady Asherton's 65th birthday dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Barbara attend Lady Asherton's birthday dinner and announce their news to his family to their delight. Tommy is also teased about his classic car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776393/in/dateposted-public/)

Tommy yawned and stretched, his hand encountering cold sheets. Opening one eye he confirmed the bed was empty and opening his other eye did not change that fact. Glancing over at the clock he was stunned to realise it was after nine. Throwing back the covers Tommy disappeared into the bathroom and turned the shower on. It may be spring, but the old house was still cold. Thankfully his father had updated the boiler when he had inherited the estate, so the showers were hot and strong. 

Scrubbing his hair dry on a towel Tommy walked back into their room and dragged on jeans and his thick grey jumper shoving his feet into his boots and went in search of his fiancée. He found her and his mother in the garden room on the ground floor. He stood in the doorway for a few moments watching them together. 

“What are you two laughing over?” he asked walking over to the ladies and kissing his mother on the temple when he caught sight of the source of their humour “Oh mother you did not!” he complained laughter clear in his voice. 

“Oh yes, she did. You were such a cute baby Tommy,” Barbara chuckled at his discomfort, flipping to the front of the enormous photograph album spread across her lap to the obligatory naked baby photo on a fluffy rug, the handwriting beneath it proclaimed he was six months old. He knew that album was full of photos of him from three days old to last Christmas.

“I cannot deal with that without caffeine,” Tommy grumbled and disappeared into the kitchen, flicking the kettle on to their laughter.

“You will find that one of the greatest joys of motherhood is to thoroughly embarrass your children in later years,” Dorothy told Barbara to her enormous smile which she returned. Barbara felt a deep kinship with Tommy’s mother, and she was sure they were going to end up good friends. She felt a little guilty about it as she had never been overly close to her mother, her grief over her son’s prolonged death and then her dementia robbing them both of the chance to have a close relationship. Determinedly Barbara pushed those thoughts aside, she did not want to ruin her good mood.

“You excel at it too,” Tommy said returning with a mug of coffee and sitting beside his mother as coffee still set Barbara’s stomach rolling. The album held a lifetime of memories from his first pony to the first day at both primary school and at Eton.

“That is a posh looking school uniform,” Barbara said laughing at a picture of him standing at the front gates of Eton with a huge smile. “You look so happy,” she said looking over at him to Tommy’s nod.

“Yes, generations of Lynley’s have gone to Eton. It is a great school and they find what the boys are good at and encourage it and they have lots of sports options and creative outlets.” Tommy explained knowing Barbara’s objection to boarding schools and sending young boys away from their families “I never would have been sent if I had truly not wanted to go,” Dorothy confirmed that was correct. 

“I never would have enrolled either of my boys into Eton if they had not wanted to go but it is an excellent school. The letters I used to receive, pages and pages long,” Dorothy was interrupted by a hello from the front of the house. Dorothy handed the album to Barbara and got to her feet hurrying out of the room.

“We have years to decide if they are boys, whether to send them to Eton or not,” Tommy said, pinpointing Barbara’s worry “We can talk about it later,”

“Tommy, Barbara, what a lovely surprise,” Judith hurried into the room. Tommy stood and Judith hugged her brother, dropping a kiss on his cheek. “Oh, I see mum has dug out the photo albums, good luck with that,” she dropped into an armchair opposite Barbara laughing at the scowl Tommy shot her way. 

“I really should go and shower and get dressed,” Barbara said putting the album on the table and getting to her feet “You stay and catch up with your sister, I’ll be back soon,” Barbara gave Tommy a shy smile and hurried from the room, she did not want to be caught by visitors in her dressing gown. 

“Where are the girls?” Tommy asked, curious as to where his nieces were. They would not miss their grandmother’s birthday dinner. “Unpacking the car?”

“Oh no, worse than that,” at Tommy’s eyebrow raised in query Judith continued “Jacqueline’s boyfriend is driving them down,”

“Her boyfriend! She’s only sixteen,” Judith grinned at his overprotective reaction.

“He is a very nice young man and mother was kind enough to invite him for the weekend and do not look at me like that. Before you ask, yes they are in separate rooms. How lovely for Barbara to be included in the festivities, it seems like ages since we have seen her,” Tommy did not miss his sister’s sly dig for information, but he was not ready to reveal the new direction their relationship had taken. Before Tommy could say another word footsteps could be heard running through the house.

“Uncle Tommy,” he stood just in time to be crashed into by his youngest niece as she threw her arms around him “You came,” he swung her around to her giggles. 

“Of course, I did Eleanor, I could not miss seeing my best girls. You’ve cut your hair?” he asked running his finger through her now shoulder-length hair. 

“Mummy said I could get it cut. Do you like it? it is much easier. Jacqui’s hair is still long, she’s talking to Grandma,” he laughed as she screwed up her nose “Her boyfriend is with us, Grandma said he could come,”

“Yes, I like your haircut very much. Don’t you like Jacqueline’s boyfriend?” Tommy asked as Eleanor let go of him. He could not believe how tall she was getting.

“Oh, he is alright for a boy I suppose,” Tommy just managed to hold back his laughter, wondering when that would change. Not too soon he privately hoped.

“Hello Uncle Tommy,” he turned smiling as Jacqueline walked into the room, hand in hand with a young boy who she tugged over to introduce them. “Uncle Tommy, this is my boyfriend Michael Hathaway. Michael, this is my Uncle Tommy,”

“Hello Sir, Jacqueline has told me a lot about you,” Michael thrust his hand out for Tommy to shake. He had a firm handshake and kept Tommy’s gaze, both of which Tommy approved of. “Is that your amazing car parked out the back?” he asked excitedly to Tommy’s nod.

“Do not get him started on that car, you will never shut him up,” Barbara warned the young man as she rejoined them in the room to Tommy’s indignant splutter.

“That is sacrilege woman, sacrilege,” Tommy clutched his chest to Barbara’s eye roll and smirk. “Barbara this is my eldest niece Jacqueline and her boyfriend Michael,” Barbara shook both their hands and said hello “This is my youngest niece Eleanor and you know Judith,”

“Hello Barbara, it is lovely to see you again,” Judith embraced Barbara in a quick hug. “How have you been?” before they could say anything further Dorothy bustled back into the room.

“The caterers have just arrived, could everyone help them carry things into the kitchen please?” everyone followed Dorothy out to the back garden where two local catering vans were unloading boxes and crates onto the lawn. Barbara had to hide her smirk when Tommy deliberately handed her two bags of vegetables. 

The kitchen was soon overflowing with boxes of food. The three chefs started unpacking the perishable food into the fridge. They knew what they were doing as they worked effortlessly around each other.

“How about lunch at Nanrunnel pub, let these guys do their magic here so we are not in the way?” Tommy asked for everyone’s appreciative agreement. “Are you coming mother?” he asked as Dorothy walked into the kitchen.

“No, you all go, I need to wait for the florist and set up the great hall, have fun,” she kissed Tommy’s cheek and went to speak to the caterers. 

“Let me grab my wallet and jacket, I’ll meet you all out the front,” Tommy and Barbara walked upstairs to their room. “Would you do me a favour?” Tommy asked sounding a little nervous.

“Anything,” Barbara immediately replied sitting on the side of the bed.

“Please do not wear your engagement ring, not until I’ve made the announcement?” Tommy asked to Barbara’s nod.

“I was not intending to,” she said smiling and holding up her bare left hand. “Judith’s girls are adorable, clearly they love their Uncle Tommy,” he smiled at her teasing. 

“They are lovely girls and Judith has done an amazing job of bringing them up on her own. I tried to be there for them as much as I could. School holiday sleepovers with two young girls were one of my fondest memories,” by his enormous smile it was clear this was a treasured the memory and Barbara had no doubt he would be an amazing father. An impatient car horn made her chuckle as she slipped on her red trench and picked up her handbag.

“I think they are getting impatient, let’s go,” Tommy grabbed her arm before Barbara could disappear, pushed her against the wall and kissed her silly, stepping back to grin at her dazed look. “You are just lucky I don’t wear lipstick, or you’d be wearing it,” she grumbled to his laugh as he opened the door and let her proceed him downstairs.

It was only a short drive to the pub and even on a chilly Saturday afternoon, the pub was about half full. The cheery young girl behind the bar found them a table in the dining room and handed out menus and told them to order at the bar.

“Keys!” Barbara demanded holding her hand out “You are not driving back and do not roll your eyes at me,” Judith just snorted as Tommy was told off by his partner. However, she did find it more than a little interesting when he just shook his head and dropped the keys into Barbara's hand.

“Yes Sergeant,” he grumbled to his sister’s laughter as she could not prevent her grin. Once everyone had made up their minds Tommy headed up to the bar, taking Michael with him, and placed everyone’s order. He could not help being relieved when Michael ordered a coke for himself. 

“You’re not drinking?” Tommy asked as he waited for his card and their table number.

“No Sir, I’m not much of a drinker, just the occasional beer or wine with dinner and Jacqui doesn’t like it,” Tommy just nodded, he knew all too well why his niece would not like her boyfriend drinking but he kept quiet on the subject. He had no idea what she had told Michael about her long-dead father. Michael picked up one of the trays of drinks and carried them back to the table, Tommy following behind. 

Lunch was a loud boisterous affair and it seemed to have turned into an opportunity to pick on Tommy to his mock disgust. It had all started when Barbara stole his chips and he slapped her hand to her feigned shock, then Judith leaned over and stole some too. She was too far away to slap. Eleanor’s peal of laughter filled the room and Tommy tried to defend his lunch. Michael very gallantly pushed his plate towards Barbara and Judith to their laughter.

“I like him, Jacqui, he can stay,” Tommy said saluting the blushing boy with his beer to his grin as Judith helped herself to Michael’s chips, smirking at Tommy. 

“Well we are a bit outnumbered with the ladies, we have to stick together,” he said to the ladies hoots of laughter. Tommy’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, finding a text from his brother.

“Peter’s at the house, mother wants us to bring back some ice and lemons!” he told the group to their laughter. “For the gin and tonics, I would assume. Come on let’s see where we can find lemons, I’m sure the pub will have ice.” They clambered out of their seats and Tommy went to speak with the girl behind the bar.

“Barmaid said we should get lemons about a block that way,” he pointed in the general direction of Nanrunnel, away from the harbour “So if you want to get the ice and head back we will go get the lemons?” 

“I can get this Tommy, you go,” Judith said digging out her credit card as Tommy and Barbara left by the side door. Once out of sight he slipped his hand into hers.

“You are quiet, is anything wrong?” Tommy asked pulling Barbara to a stop and gently tilting her chin up, so she was looking at him.

“No, I was just thinking about your family. How they tease and joke with each other, but it is clear that you are there for each other,” she paused not sure how to continue so they slowly walked back up the hill. “I have never had that, and I want it, want it for them and me. Is that selfish?” Tommy had never heard Barbara sound so worried. He pulled her to a stop again.

“Of course, it isn’t selfish, everyone wants a safety net I suppose. You know my family has its problems, but we are working through them. Peter’s been clean since Trenarrow’s death and we are working on our relationship. You are now part of the family Barbara, for all its problems,” Tommy hugged her, dropping a kiss onto her hair, “Come on let’s go find my mother her lemons,” he laughed at the absurdity of that request.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Later that night Tommy was watching Barbara get ready for dinner. She had dozed off in the afternoon and he had let her sleep, which she had scolded him for, but he had assured her that they were not meeting until six for dinner at seven, so she had plenty of time to get ready. Tommy was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard chatting to Barbara. 

“If you keep looking at me like that we will not get to dinner,” Tommy warned to Barbara’s laugh as she studied him in the mirror.

“It is your fault,” she replied, “You and your posh togs,” he grinned and climbed off the bed, walking over to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. 

“You look beautiful,” he dropped a kiss onto her hair “I will be back in a moment, I need to ask my mother for something,” kissing her head again Tommy shrugged into his tuxedo jacket and let himself out of their room.

While Barbara’s black lace dress was beautiful and concealed her belly so well it was hardly noticeable and only because Tommy knew it was there. However, she needed something more and Tommy knew just the thing.

Heading to the other side of the house he lightly knocked on his mother’s bedroom door and entered at her bidding.

“Tommy,” she hurried over to him, hands outstretched. “Oh, let me look at you!” she took his hands in hers and held him at a distance, studying him. “You remind me so much of your father, he was also born to wear formal attire. Now, what can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you would do me a huge favour?” Tommy asked, his mother nodded. “Do you have any jewels Barbara could borrow? I should have retrieved something from the safety deposit box in London, but it never occurred to me.”

“Of course,” Dorothy pulled open a small drawer in her dressing table and removed a small key and she walked over to a painting on the far wall. Moments later she swung the painting open to Tommy’s chuckle. Dorothy quickly opened the safe and pulled out a few velvet jewellery boxes.

“You do realise the safe behind the painting is the first place any self-respecting burglar will look?” Tommy asked not bothering to hide his amusement. 

“Yes, but they have to get the painting open and there is a knack to it,” Dorothy said handing Tommy the stack of boxes. He put them on the bed and flicked each one open. If any burglar did get their hands on this lot he would think all of their Christmases had come at once. Laid out before him was a stunning array of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls.

“What neckline does Barbara’s dress have?” Dorothy asked and when Tommy replied it had a v neck she immediately removed the strand of pearls and the rubies. He had no idea why, but he was sure she had a reason. That left diamonds and pearls that resembled flowers, sapphire and diamonds and an elaborate square emerald and diamond one. Tommy knew the emeralds were an anniversary gift from his father.

“Are you certain?” he asked picking them up. It was a stunning piece, his father’s final gift to his wife.

“Yes, they deserve to be worn and they will match Barbara’s engagement ring,” Dorothy said deciding for her son “You are going to make your announcement at dinner?” 

“Yes, after the speeches for your birthday, I do not want to hijack your birthday dinner,” 

“Silly boy,” Dorothy said leaning up to kiss his cheek, “This is the best birthday present I could have asked for. All I have ever wanted was your happiness,” Tommy pulled his mother into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you,” he said and picked up the jewellery box and left his mother to finish getting ready herself and headed back to their room. 

“Hey!” he said slipping back into their room. Barbara was nervously pacing the room. “You look beautiful, but I have something else for you, turn around and close your eyes.” Barbara did as he asked, curious as to what he was up to now. 

Tommy carefully lifted the necklace out of the box, dropping it onto the bed and undid the clasp. He lifted it over Barbara’s head and settled it around her neck, doing up the clasp and making sure it was sitting properly. He gently moved her a few steps so she was in front of the mirror and told her to open her eyes. 

“Bloody hell!” she gasped seeing the emeralds and diamonds encircling her throat. “They are…” Barbara could not even finish the thought, unable to tear her gaze from her reflection in the mirror.

“They were the last anniversary gift my father gave to mother before he passed away,” Tommy told her grinning at the shocked look on her face.

“It is stunning,” she reached up and ran her fingers over the gems. Barbara did not want to think how much the necklace must have cost as there were at least fifteen or so large emeralds, each encircled by smaller diamonds and linked together by more diamonds. She estimated she was wearing the cost of her flat which was rather terrifying.

“Are you ready for this?” Tommy walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, catching her gaze in the mirror.

“No,” Barbara said the worry in her voice evident “I’m terrified,” Tommy turned her to face him, putting his finger under her chin and making her look at him.

“There is no need, they will be delighted for us. Come on let’s go,” Tommy tucked Barbara’s engagement ring into his pocket so she could slip it on later when he had made their announcement. Barbara picked up her small evening bag and giving Tommy a half-hearted smile proceeded him out of the bedroom. 

Dorothy met them at the top of the stairs and pulled them to a stop, standing back to admire them together.

“Oh, let me look at you. I cannot wait for you to tell everyone. Barbara, I’ve ordered you some non-alcoholic champagne so you won’t feel left out, the bottles look the same so no one else will know either,” clearly Dorothy was quite pleased with herself over the slight deception to Barbara’s smile. “Come now, let’s head to the drawing-room for a pre-dinner drink,” 

The large double doors to the drawing-room stood open so Tommy graciously offered his arm to both ladies and escorted them inside where the others were waiting. Dorothy soon found herself surrounded by her children and grandchildren as they hugged her, wishing her a very happy birthday. Large floral arrangements decorated the room, bouquets of yellow and red roses and the fire had been lit. It was without a doubt the fanciest birthday party Barbara had ever attended. 

“Champagne ma’am?” one of the waiters asked as he approached Barbara with one glass on a tray. He gave her a slight smile and nod as Barbara picked up the glass. Not that she was a big champagne drinker however this was Dorothy’s doing. She smiled thinking of the older lady. She had done everything she could to make Barbara welcome, long before they had dropped their baby bombshell.

“Barbara, you look smashing,” Judith hurried over and hugged Barbara “oh father’s emeralds, they match your eyes.” 

“Dorothy lent them to me, I nearly fainted when Tommy showed them to me,” she could not hide her amusement. “Not something I ever thought I would be wearing,” 

“Not something you would wear around the Met then?” Judith asked laughing as well. 

“It would set tongues wagging that is for certain,” both women laughed, catching Tommy’s attention where he was chatting to John and Mark Penellin. 

“We will catch up with you later Tommy,” John said grinning as Mark walked off. “I know that look too well,” he raised his glass in salute.

“Sorry John, you have lost me,” Tommy dragged his attention back to the man in front of him “What look,” 

“The look of a man in love,” John patted Tommy on the shoulder and grinning walked off. Tommy started after him in shock.

Before Tommy could react one of the waiters walked into the room and quietly spoke to his mother, she nodded and the man left again, headed towards the kitchen. 

“Attention everyone,” Dorothy clapped her hands for their attention “If you would please make your way into dinner and please no sitting with your significant other,” Dorothy stood by the open doorway as her family filed past her, each bestowing a kiss as they passed by.

Barbara could not prevent her gasp when the full glory of Howenstow’s great hall was revealed in all its glory. The room had been transformed while they had been otherwise occupied. The long table was laid with a dark red tablecloth, snowy white plates were set at each place, surrounded by shining flatware and crystal wine glasses. Silver candlesticks were dotted down the table with long narrow white candles and silver vases full of white tulips.

“It is beautiful isn’t it?” Peter Lynley said as he put his arm out to escort Barbara to a seat “May I steal you away from my brother for the evening,” 

“Of course,” Barbara replied placing her hand on his arm. Tommy had escorted his mother in after everyone else was seated. Luckily that put her beside Tommy which everyone good-naturedly teased them about but Tommy pleaded innocence, he could not be held responsible for what seats remained. 

Barbara was extremely grateful that she had begged Denton to walk her through a formal dinner setting, she had never seen so much flatware in her life but his simple instructions of “outside-in” now made perfect sense. She was relieved when the same waiter filled her glass and shook out a napkin and placed it on her lap. 

Moments later three waiters brought in the first course, a bowl of light soup with mushrooms and noodles that smelt amazing. The conversation was stilled while everyone ate, the only noise in the room the light tinkling of spoons scraping the bottom of bowls. They had just finished when the bowls were whisked away and conversation resumed. 

The next course was prawns, beautifully presented in a crystal bowl. Honestly, Barbara had never seen food presented so well it was nearly a shame to eat it. Small parcels of fish wrapped in leaves were up next and then the most succulent roast beef she had ever eaten. The dinner had flown with good food and lively amusing conversation and she was glad the wine was not alcoholic as her glass had been filled often. 

The lights were dimmed and a waiter carried in the most beautiful birthday cake Barbara had ever seen. It looked like a miniature wedding cake with pale pink flowers and a white ribbon tied around the bottom layer and placed it in front of Dorothy to a loud and rather off-key rendition of happy birthday. Dorothy did not even try to pretend she was not lapping up the attention and Barbara could not blame her. Speeches and more photographs had followed to record the event and presents were opened to Dorothy’s delight. _What diamond earrings?_ Barbara could not help thinking when Dorothy thanked her for the gift, she would interrogate Tommy later as she had no doubt he was behind it.

She felt a nudge against her thigh and looked down to find Tommy handing over her engagement ring. Taking it from him, she slipped it on her finger and felt the nerves take flight in her belly as Tommy stood once more.

“If I could have your attention for a moment,” everyone looked at him expectedly “I have another announcement to make,” the waiters finished refreshing everyone’s glasses and stood back. One Tommy had everyone's undivided attention he continued. “Well, two announcements.”

“Hurry up, the cake is waiting,” Peter complained to everyone’s laughter. 

“Very well,” Tommy glanced around the table “Barbara and I are engaged and expecting twins in the summer,” as expected the room exploded in congratulations and raised glasses as Dorothy made the first move and hugged both Tommy and Barbara. 

“This is the very best birthday present, I’m so thrilled for you both,” Barbara could not help thinking she did a great job of pretending not to know of their news. 

“You absolute sneak!” Judith scolded her brother before also pulling him into her arms for a hug. The fact he towered over her made the scolding all the funnier. Barbara soon found herself also engulfed in hugs from various family members. 

“Oh let me see,” Judith demanded taking Barbara’s hand in hers and gasping at the emerald and diamonds which was now back on Barbara’s hand. “It is beautiful,”

“Tommy chose it, I had no idea,” Barbara admitted to the ladies, unaware a light blush was colouring her cheeks. 

“Babies as well, how thrilling,” Judith was delighted by the prospect.

“When are you planning to get married?” Jacqueline asked “Oh can we help plan it? That would be so much fun,” both girls looked delighted by the thought.

“Well we only got engaged last weekend, so really we had not thought much about it yet but we would love your help,” Barbara laughed as she found herself hugged by Eleanor. She was a lovely young girl and quite horse mad from what she’d been telling Barbara earlier about her horse Tinkerbell.

“Judith is right, you are a sneak,” Peter said handing Tommy a whisky and clinking his glass against it. “When did you two start dating?” Mark, John and Michael had come over to congratulate Tommy as the ladies were in a huddle chatting to Barbara. 

“Yes well, about that,” Tommy said, scratching his neck and looking a little sheepish “It was well, rather unexpected,” Peter could not control his smirk at his brother’s stammering, very un-Tommy like.

“Clearly!,” he teased which the others joined. “So, babies due in the summer so let me see,” Peter paused dramatically and grinned “It must have been a hell of a Christmas party?” Tommy knew he was blushing, he could feel the heat in his cheeks to Peter’s obvious delight as he slapped Tommy on the back.

“Let's take our cake and coffee in the drawing-room?” Dorothy suggested slipping her arms around her son’s waists as she stood between them “It is far more comfortable,” the men all nodded and headed back to the other room as the waiters started to clear the dishes. 

“Hey!” Tommy said walking over to Barbara “Did you survive my family?” she nodded taking his hand.

“Yes, however, I think your nieces and sister are organising our wedding for us. I do not think we have much say in it,” Tommy just chuckled clearly not bothered by that thought.

“That is a very dangerous prospect, Judith with my credit card,” 

“Are you taking my name in vain?” Judith asked handing over plates of birthday cake.

“Yes, I was saying my credit card may not survive your clutches,” Judith just shrugged not denying Tommy’s accusation.

“Well it is about to get a workout,” she ticked off on her fingers “Wedding, honeymoon and all the paraphernalia babies need and of course you will need double the amount, and a new car, babies won’t fit in that old car of yours.” 

“Old!” Tommy spluttered “Old! It’s a classic,” both women laughed at his indignant spluttering to his humph as he walked over to talk with his mother. “They are making disparaging remarks about my car!” Dorothy laughed at the look on Tommy’s face.

“Oh, you are so like your father with your love of classic cars,” 

“He started it, giving me that Triumph Spitfire for my birthday. I loved that car,” it had been Tommy’s pride and joy until he had stupidly written it off.

“Speaking of love, have you told Barbara you love her yet?” Dorothy asked watching her future daughter in law across the room where she was talking to Judith and her granddaughters. 

“No, not yet,” Tommy admitted also watching the ladies. While Barbara was chatting to the ladies she also looked tired. Glancing at his watch Tommy was stunned to see it was fast heading towards midnight. 

“I think I might take Barbara up to bed,” Tommy quietly told Dorothy who was also shocked to see how quickly the night had flown. “She gets tired these days,”

Tommy wished everyone a good night to more congratulations and happy birthdays before Tommy finally managed to get Barbara away from his family and upstairs.

“Thank you for saving me,” gratefully Barbara sat on the side of the bed and slipped off her shoes. “Your family are lovely but…” a huge yawn interrupted her to Tommy’s grin as he hung up his tuxedo jacket and undid his bow tie.

“I know, we can talk with them at breakfast,” Tommy called out from the bathroom “Do you want Judith and the girl's input on the wedding?” he muttered around his toothbrush.

“I would love their help, I have no idea how to plan a wedding but we agreed on something small remember?” Tommy nodded, walking out of the bathroom in his pyjamas and carefully undoing the emerald necklace.

“I was thinking we could have it here? On the back lawn?” he unzipped Barbara’s dress and helped her step out of it. She was also back moments later and crawled into bed kissing Tommy goodnight and switched off the light, both asleep soon after. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if my posting has slowed down a little but there is plenty more to come so stay tuned and a huge thank you to everyone who has been following along with Tommy & Barbara's wild ride - mwah! <3


	19. Murder in Soho Red Light District

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Barbara's nieces volunteer to help plan their wedding to their acceptance and Tommy, Barbara and Winston work on solving a murder in Soho.
> 
> Warning: this chapter contains mentions of sexual mutilation, I've kept it to a minimum but it is part of the murder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50666776373/in/dateposted-public/)

On Sunday morning they had a long leisurely breakfast as Dorothy, Judith, Jacqueline and Eleanor had come up with more and more ludicrous wedding ideas for Barbara and Tommy until Barbara had tears streaming down her cheeks in laughter. 

“It is not the next royal wedding,” she had managed to gasp trying to calm down. Eleanor’s suggestion of St Paul’s Cathedral was enough to send Barbara over the edge. “Honestly, we were thinking of just something casual here, maybe in the back garden?” which set the ladies off in another, thankfully less elaborate, direction. 

Barbara tipped her head backwards as two hands rested on her shoulders. Tommy stood behind her, windblown from his ride and looking happier than she could remember. 

“I could hear you laughing from the stables,” Tommy said slipping into a chair and pouring himself a cup of tea. That was a total exaggeration, but Barbara grinned at him.

“Eleanor has decided we are getting married in St Paul’s Cathedral,” she told him to Tommy’s chuckle.

“I do not think so, maybe scale it down?” he asked his niece to her cheeky grin.

“Okay Uncle Tommy but we are still going to help you and Aunt Barbara plan it,” she told them determinedly to both of their grins. Barbara was still getting used to being called _Aunt_ , but Judith’s girls were adorable, their laughter infectious. 

“We are looking forward to your help Eleanor, here,” Tommy handed over his business card with his home email written on the back “Do not use the Met email, I doubt they care about our wedding plans. We had best leave soon, it is a long drive back,” he said to Barbara lightly squeezing her knee and finishing his tea. 

Packing did not take long, and Tommy stashed their luggage in the boot of the Bristol. After lengthy goodbyes and more hugs, they finally pulled away from Howenstow. 

“Well you survived my family,” Tommy said as he indicated and pulled into traffic, heading back to London. 

“They are wonderful, and I adore your nieces. I’m glad Peter is doing better, and his girlfriend is good for him,” Peter had rather shyly introduced Barbara to his girlfriend, Alexandria. A pretty blonde who clearly adored him but was also not putting up with any crap from him. Barbara liked her immediately.

“Apparently when he came clean about his issues with drugs she gave him an ultimatum. The drugs or me, make up your mind. Wisely he chose Alexandria.” Tommy filled Barbara in on the conversation he had with his brother “We are also working on our relationship. I don’t want us to at odds with each other.” 

“I think we are going to have to curtail the girls with our wedding plans, and I’m including your mother and sister in that as well,” Barbara laughed at the ideas they had been tossing around. “I have never thought I would marry but a huge affair does not appeal.”  
  
“I was talking with Peter, John and Mark. They suggested we get married on the back lawn. It is flat and we have tables and chairs. They aren’t matching but I don’t think that matters and we have plenty of room for guests to stay over.” Tommy glanced over to Barbara to gauge her reaction to his suggestion.

“That is fine with me, it is not like we are going to find anywhere as beautiful as your home. Your mother was showing me the ancestral gallery,” she chuckled to Tommy’s groan.

“She showed you that painting didn’t she?” Tommy asked resignation clear in his voice to her chuckle and his muttered damn. 

A little after eight that night Tommy pulled into the garage behind his house and turned off the car. They had taken their time driving home, stopping at a little pub for a late lunch and a few stops along the way to stretch their legs. Tommy had treated Barbara to the best afternoon tea he knew, and they had scoffed down scones with fresh strawberry jam and clotted cream and a pot of tea. 

Walking into the side door into the kitchen Tommy was not surprised to find Denton in the kitchen making a pot of tea.

“I heard the car,” was all he said as he warmed the pot. “Go and sit down, I’ll take the bags up shortly,” both headed towards the media room at the back of the house and Barbara gratefully slipped her shoes off. 

“Dorothy sent you some birthday cake,” she told Denton handing him a container to his thanks. Barbara filled Denton in on the weekend but by ten she was yawning so they both said goodnight and headed upstairs to bed. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“Lynley” Tommy and Barbara were heading into work early on Monday morning when his mobile rang. Slipping it out of his pocket Tommy answered it surprised to hear Hillier’s voice on the other end. _Hillier_ he mouthed to Barbara as they waited at the traffic lights. 

“Where are you, Lynley? Is Havers with you?” Hillier snapped, clearly in his normal cheerful mood. 

“On the way into work,” Tommy replied wondering what Hillier wanted. Where did he think they were?

“I want you both at Soho, Lafferty and Nkata will meet you there,” Hillier rattled off the address and hung up the moment Lynley confirmed he understood. 

“What has his knickers in a knot?” Barbara wondered as Tommy veered across the lanes to head towards Soho, the opposite direction to where they had been heading. She pulled the A to Z out of the glove compartment and directed Tommy to where they had to go. Soho was a rabbit warren of one-way streets and laneways but shortly after Hillier’s phone call, Tommy was pulling up at the Police tape. They showed their warrant cards to the young constable guarding the tape who lifted it for them duck under.

“What have we got?” Lynley asked Nkata who was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. He handed out latex gloves and they waited a moment as they put them on.

“You had best take a deep breath before you go up there, it ain’t pretty,” Nkata told them before climbing the stairs. The whole building smelled so Havers was unsure what the difference was. However, as soon as they reached the third floor she gasped, understanding what Winston meant. 

“Oh hell!” she gasped in disgust to Lafferty’s grin. “That is vile,”

“What have we got Lafferty?” Lynley asked walking over to where the Forensic Pathologist was crouched over the body. Havers was correct the stench was eye-watering.

“By the level of decomp, I’d say he has been dead about ten days. Ligature marks around his wrists and ankles would suggest he was restrained,” Lafferty pointed to the rough rope still tied to the bed’s headboard to confirm his assertion. 

“Cause of death?” Lynley asked looking down at the boy. He looked about sixteen or seventeen. Garish makeup was smeared across his face and an earring had been ripped from his left earlobe. His ribs were visible in his chest and his hair was long and unkempt.

“Genital mutilation,” Lafferty replied “Sorry,” he apologised before he pulled back the sheet that had been covering the badly beaten and mutilated body. Lynley swallowed the bile that rose to the back of his throat at the sight. He was vaguely aware of Barbara making a hasty retreat, not that he could blame her. 

They were all hardened police officers with many years of service under their belts. However, the sight of this young boy’s penis sliced open from root to tip was enough to turn Lynley’s stomach. Thankfully Lafferty hastily covered the boy up again.

“Oh, that is just...” Nkata could not even finish the thought to the other men’s agreement.

“Besides the beating, he died of massive trauma and blood loss. I will be able to tell you more when I’ve conducted a post-mortem as to whether he was dead when that happened,” Lafferty nodded towards the boy’s groin.

“Hell, I hope so,” Lynley blurted in horror, not wanting to imagine the agony the boy would have been in had he been alive when he was sliced open. Lafferty and a couple of the SOCO boys carefully moved the boy into a body bag and zipped it up, carefully manoeuvring him down the stairs to the waiting van.

“I feel like I need a shower,” Nkata grouched to Lynley’s chuckle. He could not disagree. 

“Let’s let the SOCO guys in here, they can do their magic.” Lynley looked around the small room. It was a depressing place, filthy and dilapidated. A light knock on the door captured Lynley and Nkata’s attention. A woman of indeterminable age stood there, chewing on her lip.

“What ‘appened to Lynx?” she asked staring into the room and looking worriedly up at Lynley “Is he okay? Did somethin ‘appen to ‘im?” the worry in her voice was evident. This was the part of the job Lynley hated, telling someone their loved one was dead. 

“I’m Detective Inspector Lynley, this is Detective Constable Nkata,” Lynley showed her his warrant card. “Do you know the young man who lived here?” he asked to her nod. “Do you have somewhere we can talk? May I buy you breakfast?” privately Lynley thought she looked like she needed a good feed.

“Yeah thanks,” she muttered as she turned from the room, thankfully Lafferty had covered up the bloodstain on the mattress, so she was not fully aware of what had happened here yet. She clattered back down the stairs and Lynley could only hope she did not trip in those platform shoes she was wearing. 

The air outside was thankfully fresher and it smelt like rain was not too far off. Looking around the sealed off area Lynley spied Havers talking to a group of women and taking notes.

“Nkata, find us a cafe, I’ll be along shortly,” Lynley walked over to speak with Havers to see what she had discovered. The woman who had been talking to Havers immediately stopped speaking and slowly studied Lynley from head to foot. He returned her bold gaze with a quirked eyebrow. 

“Well hello there 'andsome,” she crossed her arms, pushing her breasts together so they nearly popped free of her low cut top to her smirk. Lynley ignored her actions, he was not interested. 

“Hello ladies, do you mind if I steal my Sergeant away from you all?” they all made some lewd comments which Lynley ignored, however, he had no doubt Havers would have them all memorised to torment him with later. 

“If you think of anything else, please phone me,” Havers said handing out cards and thanking the ladies for their time and hurried after Lynley. 

“Do not say it,” he warned to her impish grin.

“Say what Sir?” Havers could not hide the amusement in her voice.

“You know damn well what,” she grinned up to his scowl as Lynley held the cafe door open and the joined Nkata at a scarred and battered table.

“Inspector, Sergeant, this is Pearle. She is friends with Lynx,” a young waitress came to take their orders and Lynley told Pearle to order breakfast if she was hungry. At her hesitation, he nodded in confirmation. She ordered a full breakfast and Lynley could not help thinking it was the first decent meal she had probably had all week. He, Havers and Nkata just ordered tea.

“So, what ‘appened to Lynx? Please you gotta tell me,” Pearle begged as she shredded a paper napkin. Gently placing his hand over hers Lynley halted her hands.

“I’m sorry Pearle but we found Lynx dead this morning, in the top floor room.” Havers passed over a handful of the paper napkins as the woman’s eyes filled with tears. “We were hoping you could tell us something about him?” the waitress brought their tea and a further stack of napkins. Nkata nodded his thanks.

“He were a good lad. A bit of a Jack the Lad but we all liked ‘im. He would ‘elp us with shoppin and the like ya know?” Lynley nodded that he understood, Havers was taking notes. 

“His room was bare of any personal effects,” Nkata said sipping his tea.

“He don’t live ‘ere, he got rooms around at Mrs Mac’s and he does ‘er gardenin’ for ‘er. He ‘as been ‘ere about two or free years,” Pearle wiped her eyes as her breakfast arrived.

“Do you know where Mrs Mac’s is?” Havers asked as Pearle added the sauce to her plate, dipping a chip into it.

“Somewhere on Dean Street, I reckon, up near the park. Lynx told me once he could see the trees from his room. He were a good boy ‘Spector, he was,” Pearle once again pressed her point around a mouthful of food. Lynley nodded and pushed his chair back, heading to the counter to speak with the man standing behind it.

While paying a witness for information was highly illegal, there was nothing in the rules about feeding that same witness so Lynley paid for their meals and told the cafe owner to feed Pearle whatever she wanted for the next month and to send him a bill for it. Knowing human nature by now Lynley also pocketed a menu and told the owner he would be checking that bill. 

Walking back to his colleagues Lynley nodded towards the door and they thanked Pearle for her time and hurried outside. Lynley stopped by and told Pearle that he had paid for her meals for the next month and she was to order whatever she liked. From the shocked look on her face, Lynley could not help wondering when the last time someone extended the woman any kindness. 

“You’re just a big old softie aren’t you?” Havers questioned as they headed back to the Met.

“Sorry?” Lynley questioned distractedly as he checked his side mirror and changed lanes.

“You, you’re an old softie,” Havers repeated “Buying Pearle breakfast,” 

“It was the least I could do, she looked half-starved and enough of the _old_ thank you,” Lynley didn’t bother denying it, Havers was far too observant to have missed what he was up to.

“Winnie has gone to try to track down Mrs Mac’s Boarding House,” Havers told him as she pulled out her notebook “I am going to have to re-interview the ladies, without you there.”

“Excuse me?” Lynley questioned a bit put out by that comment. “Why without me?”

“Because you are far too distracting.” At Lynley’s snort of disbelief, Havers continued “A man of your breeding around here? I would not get a single useful piece of information out of any of them.” The glance he shot her way indicated he did not believe a word she was saying by Lynley let it drop as they pulled into the underground car park.

“Let’s see what Lafferty has for us?” Lynley suggested as they headed down to the autopsy room. It was not difficult to find as typical for Lafferty, a heavy metal rock song was blasting through two sets of doors. The sight of Lafferty drumming on imaginary drums as he laid out his instruments made Lynley smile. Tapping the man on his shoulder Lynley grinned at Lafferty’s startled jump and scowl. He walked over and turned the stereo off.

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” he complained, “I have not even started the autopsy yet.”

“Just your initial thoughts will be fine for now.” Lynley calmed their temperamental forensic pathologist. “How did he die?”

“My first thought was the mutilation but upon further inspection, I suspect he was already dead by that point. He has major head trauma, beaten with something, right here,” Lafferty tapped his temple “Whether that killed him or just knocked him out I’m unsure just yet. The ligature marks around his wrists and ankles signify he fought to get free. I’ve sent samples down to toxicology to see if he was drugged.”

“The mutilation?” Lynley questioned reluctantly. He would rather not know but that was not possible. It was a significant part of the case, but he could feel his stomach rolling unpleasantly already.

“Ah yes, that,” thankfully Lafferty did not pull the sheet back “Preliminary examination indicates that was done post-mortem so at least he did not feel it. The incision is fairly clean and well-executed so I would assume someone knew what they were doing.”

“Thankful for small mercies,” Lynley muttered to Lafferty’s wholehearted agreement. 

“I’ll send the autopsy results up to you as soon as I have finished here,” at Lynley’s nod, he and Havers left to the once again deafening sound of Lafferty’s music.

“How does he concentrate with that going on?” Havers wondered, not for the first time, to Lynley’s nod. 

They made it back to their desks to find Winston on the phone, frustration written all over his face as he tried to interrupt whoever he was talking to. He was not having a great deal of luck trying to get a word in. Eventually, he managed to thank whoever it was and hang up to Lynley’s laughter.

“Who were you _not_ talking to Winston?” Lynley could not keep the amusement out of his voice. His colleague was a picture of frustration. 

“Mrs Bridie Mac An Airchinnigh,” he replied, carefully pronouncing the woman’s surname, to both Lynley and Havers confused look.

“Who the hell is that when she’s at home?” Havers demanded.

“More commonly known around Soho as Mrs Mac. There is only one boarding house on Dean Street. She has had the place for forty years, the last thirty as a boarding house after Mr Mac passed on. She confirmed that Lynx is indeed a border there. He has had the turret room for three years.” Nkata read from his notes “The woman could talk under wet cement,” he finished shaking his head as if to clear her voice from his memory. 

“A couple of the ladies also mentioned Mrs Mac,” Havers told them checking her notes “Jezebel, Scarlett and Coco,” 

“Who?” both men demanded at once to her grin at their confusion.

“Jezebel is the one who thinks your handsome,” Havers teased, cupping her hands a fair distance from her chest and jiggling them to Nkata’s snort of amusement. Lynley’s glare made her smirk and she went back to her notes. “Lynx, doubtful that is his real name, has been working out of that walk up for approximately the last three years. He does have a few regulars, the ladies said he has a mobile so SOCO should be able to find it. He is not fussy as to his clients, male or female, young or old. So long as they pay Lynx will,” Barbara finger quoted “keep them company for an hour or two.” 

“Kinda depressing ain’t it?” Nkata asked printing off a map of the area and pinning it to the board “People selling themselves like that?” 

“It isn’t illegal though,” Lynley said as he leaned against Havers desk, ankles and arms crossed “Well the act itself isn’t. Soliciting on a street or handing out tart cards is illegal but it is nearly impossible to stop. Soho in particular so long as they are not harassing people or causing a public nuisance they are mostly left alone.”

“That boy is not even eighteen and someone has beaten him to a pulp plus the other,” Nkata replied hotly.

“I know Winston, and we will get them,” Lynley told the younger man, understanding and compassion clear in his tone. “No one deserves to die like that, no matter how they lived their life.” Nkata nodded in understanding. 

“Thank you,” he replied quietly giving Lynley a slight smile.

“Okay then, let’s see what we can find out about Mr Lynx. I would agree that Lynx is not his birth name. Do your computer magic Winston,” Lynley nodded towards the computer terminal and headed towards his own office, slipping his jacket off as he went.

The rest of the day was dull boring background checks and gathering information. Barbara had come into his office at some point and left a mug of tea beside the reports he was going through. Police work was a great deal of boring tedium, checking and rechecking reports and statements. Lynley looked up at the light knock on his door.

“What have you got Winston?” he asked sipping his tea and beckoning the young man into his office.

“A list of names for our victim and your lady friends!” at his smirk Lynley had no doubt he’d been speaking with Havers. 

“Well?” he demanded pointing to the chair on the other side of his desk. Nkata sat and flicked open his notebook.

“Lynx’s real name is Leonard James Cartwright, born 1 February 1987. Originally from Enfield but he has been in London for the last three years. Various short periods of employment as a restaurant dishwasher and office cleaning type jobs. Found out early on that he could make more in an hour in the walk-ups than he could in a week washing dishes.” He read from his notes.

“I don’t suppose you have any leads as to who his clients are?” Lynley asked hopefully, however, Nkata shook his head. 

“Not yet, Sir, that is going to take leg work and interviews. Barbara and I can head up there tomorrow and start speaking to the ladies,” while Lynley would have preferred Havers give up the leg work part of their job immediately he knew damn well she wouldn’t so he nodded.

“Look after her for me, will you Winston?” Lynley asked his colleague, not even bothering to hide the worry in his voice.

“Course Sir. She won’t do nothing silly, not now,” Nkata replied trying to reassure his senior officer, Lynley could only hope so. He knew Barbara would not deliberately endanger herself or the babies but she tended to get caught up in the moment when she was hunting down a lead and run into danger mindlessly. He knew first-hand the mind-numbing terror of knowing she was in danger. 

“Thank you, Winston, now what else have you got for me?” Lynley asked taking a sip of his tea and grimacing as it had gone cold. 

“Well the ladies Barbara was talking with are Jezebel, Scarlett and Coco, otherwise known as Jennifer Scythe, Sharon Walker and Christine James. All three have arrests for solicitation, minor drugs charges and being drunk in public. All have done the occasional night in the lock-up, mostly to just get them off the streets.” Nkata read from his notes. Lynley knew from experience that Nkata took meticulous notes.

“What have you discovered about Pearle?” Lynley asked as Nkata flipped to the next page of his notes.

“Pamela Jacobson, 45, she has been working the streets around here for at least twenty years. She has been arrested a few times, like the other ladies nothing too serious, worst was she threw a brick through a man’s sports car when he tried to get away not paying one of the other girls. She tends to mother them. She also works in that walk up. She took Lynx under her wing when he was still on the streets.” Nkata closed his notebook. Lynley was impressed with the small amount of information he had managed to unearth in a short few hours. 

A further knock on his door and at his beckoning, Havers came in, reading as she walked. She flipped the page and continued reading as she dropped into a chair.

“Do you have something for us?” Lynley asked, slightly taken aback as she put her hand up to silence him. He caught the grin on Nkata’s face before the younger man hid it.

“You will be pleased to know that Lynx was dead when the mutilation occurred.” She looked at both men, noting their looks of relief “He had low levels of Rohypnol in his blood according to the toxicology results, however, Lafferty expects the level would have been far higher at the time of his death. Probably how he was tied up, he was not able to fight back?”

“Makes sense unless restraints were common with whoever did this, assuming it was a client.” Lynley pointed out to Havers and Nkata’s agreement. “What else?”

“He suffered a massive amount of injuries, fractured skull at the temple, Lafferty thinks maybe an iron bar or something similar from the pattern of the bruising, one broken wrist, probably from trying to free himself, a broken nose, six broken ribs, a punctured lung, bruised kidneys, dislocated kneecap and of course the mutilation,” Havers read off the extensive list of injuries, wincing as she read.

“Bloody ‘ell,” Nkata muttered as Havers finished reading the autopsy report. Lynley had to agree.

“From the extent of his injuries, I cannot see this is a random attack, that level of violence is personal. Lynx knew his attacker.” Lynley picked up the SOCO photos and studied them. The photos were stomach-churning but Lynley took his time studying them. Nothing stood out to him as he wordlessly handed them to Havers. 

“Lafferty thinks he was alive for the beating, something to do with blood pooling or something like that,” Havers said not looking up from the photos. 

“Lafferty suspects Lynx also had sex shortly before he was killed,” Nkata told them from where he had picked up the autopsy report.

“Oh?” Lynley asked. Their up-close and personal theory seemed to be making more and more sense.

“Yes, indications of anal tearing and lubrication also there was semen on his stomach.”

“Well that would indicate it was consensual, I mean he would not have climaxed if he was raped? Would he?” Havers asked the men to their shrug.

“I would assume he consented unless he liked it rough but this level of rough?” Lynley tossed the remaining photos onto his desk “I highly doubt that was what he was expecting.” 

“Pathology is running tests on the lube, to see if there is any semen in it, not that it will do us much good without someone to test it against,” Nkata told them as he finished reading the rest of Lafferty’s report. For the man’s questionable taste in music, he was one of the finest pathologists Lynley had ever worked with. 

He leaned back in the chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. Mentally planning what the next steps would be.

“We will need to start interviewing anyone who may have known Lynx and see if we can get CCTV of the area. Hopefully of the walk-up, maybe see who was going in and out. We will also need to interview anyone else working in those buildings.” Lynley sat up to see Havers taking notes. 

“Would you leave us please Winston?” Lynley asked, dreading the upcoming conversation but it was playing on his mind. Giving Lynley a slight nod Winston left, closing the door behind him.

“What is it?” Havers asked suspiciously. Lynley would not have sent Nkata out of the room unless he had something to discuss with her, something she suspected she was not going to like.

“I want you to transfer to desk duty immediately,” Lynley told Havers and by the narrowing of her eyes at him, that request was not well received, as he had known it would not be.

“I beg your pardon?” Havers demanded, not exactly yelling but her annoyance was clear by her tone, however, Lynley knew it was coming. “Desk duty? I’m pregnant _Sir_ , not dying,” she snapped, her temper finally getting the better of her.

“I know that Barbara...” he started only to be cut off. He knew by that “Sir” that she was not addressing him as her fiancée but as his Sergeant.

“Do not Barbara me, _Sir_. I am not giving up active duty yet and interviewing a group of ladies to find a young boy’s killer is not dangerous in the slightest and you bloody well know it.” She snarled at him.

“And what if one of them is the killer?” Lynley demanded trying to remain calm.

“Oh do not be ridiculous,” Havers snapped, her hands on her hips and glaring at him “A good strong wind would knock the lot of them over and you bloody well know it. Do you honestly think any of them had the strength to do that?” she dropped the photos on the desk in front of Lynley. “Of course not but you now think I’m incapable of doing my bloody job, well I am NOT!” Havers snarled the last and stormed out of his office, slamming the door so hard behind her the painting on the wall rattled. 

“Well, that went well!” Lynley told the empty room, a headache starting behind his eyes. Tommy knew he was being overprotective but the thought of anything happening to Barbara or the babies had kept him awake more than once. He had laid in bed just watching her. It had crushed him when Helen had lost their son and he deeply regretted it but the very thought of the same thing happening to Barbara terrified him more than anything else.

Knowing the best thing he could do was to give Havers space until she calmed down so he went back to the photographs, hoping they would tell him something about the man, well he assumed it was a man as Havers was right about one thing, this level of violence took far more strength than any of those women possessed. 

Lynley worked until close to six that night and hoping Havers had had time to calm down he opened his door to find her also still hard at work tracking down addresses for the Soho ladies by the look of it.

“Have you forgiven me enough for a lift home?” he asked hopefully. Turning to look up at him, Tommy noted Barbara had calmed down. She looked at her watch and up at him again. 

“I did not realise it was that late. I’ve been tracking down addresses.” She waved her notebook at him, the pages rustling. “They all live around the Soho area so it should be easy enough to interview them all. I am heading out with Winnie tomorrow.” The way she told him what the plan was Tommy knew he had to let her do her job and hope she stayed out of danger.

“Come on, let’s go home. Denton is doing chicken for dinner I think.” Donning coats they headed towards the lifts to take them down to the underground car park. 

“I’m sorry, about earlier,” Tommy said as he turned the car toward home “I never doubted you can do your job, but I worry about you being out there.” 

“I know and I am sorry too bloody pregnancy hormones.” Barbara chuckled. “I am short-tempered enough as it is without adding this to the mix.” She laid her hands over her small bump. “I promise you, Tommy, anything even remotely dangerous I will let you and Winnie handle it.” 

“Thank you,” Tommy said as they pulled into the mews garage and headed inside to the glorious smell of Denton’s roast chicken for dinner.


	20. Barbara and Winston start tracking down Lynx's clients

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara and Winston return to Soho to speak with the ladies about Lynx's murder.  
> Tommy and Barbara's wedding plans kick off with Jacqueline and Eleanor's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667599762/in/dateposted-public/)

The next morning Havers and Nkata were due to head back to Soho to interview Jezebel, Scarlett, Coco and Pearle. Lynley had chaffed about being left behind but eventually, he gave in to Havers logic and told them to do the interviews without him. 

“I’ll meet you downstairs Winston?” Havers told her colleague who picked up on her wish to speak with Lynley alone and with a nod left them alone.

“I know you’re worried Tommy and I understand that. I swear to you that I will not do anything reckless, nothing to endanger either me or the babies but please don’t relegate me to desk duty any sooner than necessary?” Tommy was leaning against his desk and Barbara walked up to him and slipped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “I also know you’ve told Winston to keep an eye on me!” he just sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing damn well he had been found out.

“I will do my best not to worry but I cannot promise anything. I have always worried about you, even before this,” he gently ran his hand over her bump. “Go on, Winston will be waiting for you,” dropping a quick kiss onto her forehead Tommy let her go. They had sworn to keep their personal lives out of the office, but it was damn difficult sometimes. Walking around to the other side of his desk, Lynley dropped down into his chair and opened a report, reading over it and taking notes.

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“Everything alright Barb?” Winston asked as she slipped into the passenger seat of his car and buckled up.

“Yes, just Tommy worrying, and I know he’s told you to keep an eye on me, don’t deny it,” she forestalled his denial to his sheepish grin. “As I told him, I swear I will not do anything to endanger me or the babies so can we go?” what should have been a fifteen-minute drive took them a frustrating thirty minutes. Winston’s bitter complaints about London traffic made Barbara grin. 

They luckily found a parking spot not too far from the walk-up and Havers waited until Nkata had locked the car. Even though it was officially spring, there was still a chill in the air so Havers wrapped her scarf around her neck. Tommy would never forgive her if she got sick. Havers had written down the ladies addresses but they wanted to see if they were in Soho before they had to go traipsing all around London to find them. 

“Pearle first?” Havers asked “We at least know where she may be,” Nkata nodded in agreement and they crossed the road and headed to the walk-up, remnants of yellow crime scene tape fluttering in the breeze from the door frame. Climbing the three flights of stairs Havers knocked on the door opposite where they had found Lynx.

Lynx’s room was still firmly sealed off with yellow crime tape crisscrossing the door frame and it was not worth the paperwork to disturb it so Havers knocked on Pearle’s door. Eventually, it was cracked open an inch and a blearily blue eye peeked out at them.

“Whatcha want?” she demanded, her voice rough and gravelly. “Oh, it’s you,” she said taking in the tall dark Jamaican detective. He was hard to miss Havers had to admit.

“Can we have a word, Pearle, about Lynx?” Nkata asked, jerking his head at the sealed room. 

“Yeah give me a minute to get some clothes on,” with that the door slammed in their faces to their amused glances. Nkata just shrugged, leaning against the wall. The door was opened about five minutes later and Pearle stood back to let them into the room. It was better decorated if that was what you could call it, than Lynx’s room but it was still clearly a working room. 

“I ain’t got no tea or nothin’ sorry,” she wrapped a thin cardigan around herself and perched on the edge of the bed.

“I could do with a cuppa, how about you Barb?” Nkata asked, to Havers nod “Cafe around the corner alright with you?” Havers was positive Pearle was not stupid she knew what Nkata was up to but she gratefully went along with it as she grabbed a thicker jacket and tossed a packet of cigarettes and lighter into her bag and picked up a bunch of keys, locking the door behind her. 

They traipsed downstairs and around the corner to the same cafe. This time of the morning they were the only ones there. The waitress looked bored as she gave them menus and left them alone.

“Do ya wanna talk to the others too?” Pearle asked “You know the other girls? I can ring ‘em?” Pearle dug a latest model mobile phone out of her bag and held it up. 

“It would be helpful, talking to everyone at once?” Nkata suggested to Havers nod.

“Tell them we’re buying breakfast if that helps get them here?” Nkata told Pearle as she nodded in understanding and phoned the others, telling them what she wanted and where to meet them. Twenty minutes later the Jezebel arrived, then Coco and finally Scarlett. They all looked exhausted and Havers could not help wondering if they had slept yet, probably not she decided. The waitress took their orders for breakfast and requests for tea and left them in peace.

“So, where’s the other one, with the fuck me voice?” Jezebel asked, “Not that you ain't sexy gorgeous but I got a thing for tall sexy Englishmen with whisky voices?” Jezebel winked at Nkata to his slight grin.

“Inspector Lynley is required back at the Met,” Havers told them pulling out her notebook “But we need to ask you some questions regarding Lynx.” They all nodded their understanding as their meals were placed in front of them. Havers was very glad her morning sickness had settled down as the smell of bacon, eggs, sausage, beans and mushrooms was overpowering in the small cafe. 

“Ya found out who done it yet?” Coco demanded, glaring at them both. She was far more belligerent than the other three.

“No, not yet. That is why we need your help. We need as much information as you can give us. When was the last time you saw Lynx? Do you know any of his clients?” Nkata asked sipping his tea. 

“Coupla weeks I reckon,” Pearle told them around a mouthful of toast “around the end of March maybe?” 

“Nah, it were earlier than that, mid-March I say,” Jezebel shook her head at Pearle.

“Yeah, he went up ta that posh party, member, he wanted to borrow me silver fur and were pissed when I wouldn’t let ‘im,” the other women nodded.

“He looked beta in the red leather anyways,” Scarlett put in, to their agreements.

“What posh party?” Havers questioned. “Do you know where it was?” even though Lynx had been killed here in Soho it may give them a lead as to who he was seeing.

“Na, one of those posh suburbs but. He ‘ad ta get all tarted up ta go he told us,” Scarlett told them. _A posh suburb in London, well that narrows it down_ Havers thought to herself. 

“Up near one of the palaces weren’t it?” the ladies nodded in agreement to Havers excitement, that narrowed it down some.

“Buckingham Palace?” Nkata asked to their confusion.

“Nah, the other one,” Scarlett told him as if it was perfectly logical.

“Kensington Palace?” Havers asked, finally feeling like they were getting somewhere as they nodded.

“Yeah, he had ta get the underground,” Coco was finally on board with helping them find her friend’s murderer. “He were not ‘appy bout that, reckons he ought to ‘ave been picked up, ya know,” Havers did not why Lynx ought to have been picked up so naturally, she queried it, regretting that decision almost immediately.

“Well he were going ta a gang bang, ain’t right he gotta get ‘imself there,” Coco told them indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at them both. “Ain’t good manners,” Havers busied herself taking notes so as not let her astonishment at that comment be noticed. 

“Do you have any idea who he was meeting?” Nkata questioned taking a sip of his tea. Neither detective missed the looks the women exchanged with each other. It was clear they were hiding something. 

“Ladies,” Nkata said sternly staring at each one, in turn, he had gone from jovial cop to serious detective. “We need the truth, we are not here to judge you or Lynx but I’m sure that you want us to find who murdered your friend?”

“Do you want us to wait outside?” Havers asked to Pearle’s nod. The others seemed to take her lead so she and Nkata let the ladies talk and left the cafe, standing on the pavement.

“They know more than they are letting on,” Nkata said watching their reflection in the glass as they huddled together heads bent and talking. It was a very animated conversation with lots of finger-pointing and gesturing going on between the four women.

“No doubt about that,” Havers agreed “What do you reckon about the Kensington party? Legit or not?” Nkata just shrugged one shoulder to indicate it could go either way. 

“I hope they have something for us, I do not relish doing a door to door through Kensington,” Havers grinned at the disgruntled tone in Nkata’s voice. She was about to reply when Jezebel waved them back inside. The waitress had cleared the table and brought fresh tea.

“We don know if it the guy but Lynx ‘ad a regular, up Kensington way, some posh looking palace, you know ‘alf a dozen floors,” Jezebel waved her hand in the air to signify a multilevel residence “Near a park he use ta say, could see it from the back o’ the ‘ouse,” Havers kept a tight rein on her annoyance, a multi-storey house near a park in Kensington, _that narrowed it down_ she thought sarcastically. 

“It weren’t no little park, but it was fucking ‘uge,” Scarlett added “’ouses all around it like,” Havers continued taking notes, wondering how many huge parks there were in Kensington. _Damn, Lynley would know_ she thought regretting leaving him at the Met.

“About this man? What else do you know about him?” Nkata asked them.

“He were foreign, ain’t sure where but he got dark skin. Not dark as you dark,” Coco said nodding to Nkata “like ‘talian or some fin and dark eyes.”

“Yeah and he drove that fancy car, like bright fucking yellow or something, you know the one with the horse on the front?” Jezebel added, excitement getting the better of them.

“And the top came off it too,” Coco added to Havers frantic note-taking. It was something she hoped. 

“He dropped Lynx off one morning, on his way somewhere I guess, he ain’t never come round here. Lynx had ta go ta him. He’s a gentleman Lynx said but I don’t reckon, he’s just a guy wanting a secret fuck that he ain’t gotta commit to, ya know?” the ladies all nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, ladies, if you think of anything else can you please let us know? You still have my numbers?” Havers asked closing her notebook and standing. The rest all followed and thanked the detectives for breakfast before disappearing out the door until only Pearle remained. 

“I want ta thank ya for lookin’ in ta what ‘appened ta Lynx, most coppers don’t care about us, ‘cept to harass us.” Even though Havers know Pearle’s age, she looked at least ten years older. 

“We will get whoever killed Lynx, I promise you, Pearle,” Nkata told her giving the woman a small smile before she too left the cafe.

“You should not be making promises like that Winnie,” Havers said as they walked back to his car. 

“I know Barb but hell, they need some damn good news, someone to be on their side. They aren’t bad women just need a chance; you know?” Havers nodded as they reached his car and unlocked it.

“I understand Winnie, come on let’s see if Lynley knows of a park in Kensington,” Nkata snorted at the chances of that and started the car. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“I beg your pardon?” Lynley asked incredulously as Havers and Nkata sat on the other side of his deck filling him in on their visit to the Soho ladies.

“We are looking for a multilevel posh house that backs onto a huge park in Kensington, do you have any ideas?” Havers repeated just managing to control her grin at the look on Lynley’s face. “You know the posh suburbs, living in one as you do?”

“No Havers, I do not know every posh suburb in London and may I remind you, you live in a posh suburb now too!” her impish grin signified her delight that her teasing had hit home. His narrow-eyed glare did nothing to quell her delight. 

“We can take a look on the way home, what else have you got?” Lynley asked.

“Well if we can find the posh house, the owner drives a yellow convertible Ferrari so hopefully there are not too many of those in London,” Nkata advised, a little bit of envy seeping into his voice at the thought of the pricey car.

“The man, according to Coco, has dark skin, like an Italian, which would explain the Ferrari?” Havers added “He portrays himself as a gentleman, but the ladies disagree,”

“Why?” Lynley asked.

“Well you see Sir, it’s rather like,” it was extremely rare that Havers was at a loss for words and if Lynley was not mistaken, she was blushing. 

“Spit it out,” Lynley demanded not used to Havers hesitating.

“Well, Lynx had been involved in errr... gang bangs,” she told him, “The ladies informed us of that little tit bit, so there are more than just our killer who is aware of the relationship between him and Lynx.”

“How many are involved in these gang bangs?” Lynley asked trying to keep his voice neutral. He had never considered himself a prude and had always enjoyed an active sex life, but there was just something rather distasteful about a group of men taking advantage of a teenage boy in such a manner. 

“No idea, they didn’t name names but it proves there is a link between Lynx that extends beyond Soho.” Lynley had to agree with Havers conclusion.

“Can you track down any yellow convertible Ferrari’s in the London area for us Winston?” Lynley asked to Nkata’s obvious delight. Lynley and Nkata had spent many hours in the past discussing various classic and exotic cars so Lynley could not contain his grin at the delighted look on Nkata’s face. He picked up his notebook and hurried from Lynley’s office.

“Winnie will love that assignment,” Havers said grinning as their colleague hurried from the room. “You should let him drive the Bristol one day, he will be forever in your debt.” Lynley laughed at the thought. 

“Let's see if we can narrow down the park the ladies were referring to,” Lynley pulled an A to Z directory of London from a desk drawer and flipped through the pages until he found Kensington. Barbara leaned forward to study the map as well.

“The largest park in Kensington is Holland Park,” Lynley pointed it out on the directory “Houses on Holland Park back onto the actual park,” Lynley ran his finger along a row of white multilevel houses that backed onto the large expanse of greenery. He continued along the park until he found some more houses “Some on Ilchester Place as well but they do not back on to the park,” he tapped the map to show their location. 

“I would say from the ladies very vague description of where they think Lynx was going to, that would be our best bet,” Havers indicated the houses that backed onto the park. “Mind you they could have it all completely wrong. Lynx was very cagey about where he was going and who he was meeting.”

“Which makes me wonder who it is. Even if this individual is not who killed him, it sounds like he would have something to hide if it got out he was vising a male prostitute on a fairly regular basis,” Lynley stuck a note into the directory at the page they needed and closed the book, pushing it to one side. 

“Lafferty sent up amendments to the autopsy report, no semen in the lube so he assumed the man wore a condom as there are signs of penetration. He had a low level of drugs in his system but that could have been far higher when he was originally drugged.” Lynley passed over the extra page for the report. 

“Does not exactly shed any new light on anything though does it?” Havers complained quickly reading over the single page and handing it back to Lynley.

“It does not help much at all. I’ve reached out to get locations of any CCTV cameras in the area, it may help with capturing anyone coming or going into the walk-up, but knowing how our luck is going, the cameras will be pointing in another direction!”

“Do not jinx us thank you very much,” Havers complained knocking on Lynley’s desk. He grinned at her superstitious gesture. “Also your babies and I need some lunch, you’re buying,” with that she flounced out of his office to Lynley’s laughter. 

**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Even though Barbara had to drastically alter her diet when she got pregnant, burgers with extra pickles and chips drowned in vinegar was still a regular lunch for them both. Barbara shamelessly stole Tommy’s pickles, nothing new there and slurped the last of her drink, chasing the ice around the bottom of the cup with her straw. 

“I can buy you another one if you want one?” Tommy told her grinning at her antics but Barbara shook her head. 

“No one is enough I’ll be in the bathroom all day otherwise.” She put the cup down and stole the last of Tommy’s chips, evading his attempt to slap her hand.

“Still got the cravings?” Tommy asked as she chased the vinegar around her plate with a chip.

“Hmmmm still the salty savoury things but the Doctor said I may start craving sweets, to Denton’s delight, or I may not. There are no rules for babies.” Barbara shrugged repeating the doctor’s conversation. 

“When is the next ultrasound?” Tommy asked. He had managed to be at as many appointments as he possibly could but unfortunately often a murder investigation had to take priority, which thankfully as a fellow police officer, Barbara understood. 

“End of April, I have the details upstairs.” Deborah had got Barbara onto a new neonatal doctor who, besides being the top of her field, was damn funny. Barbara liked her a great deal.

“Speaking of the end of April, we are going to have to set a wedding date, even if it is just at Howenstow we will need to let people know.” Tommy finished his drink and piled the rubbish together.

“Well it will have to be a weekend so people are off work,” Barbara rummaged through her handbag and pulled out her diary, flicking to the current week. “How long do these things take to plan?” she looked up at Tommy “What?” she questioned to his grin.

“Just thrilled that you’re so excited about it, the wedding and us.” Tommy held her hand across the table “So, what date are we getting married?” he nodded to the diary.

“How about Saturday the first of May?” she looked up from the diary “It should be an anniversary date you can’t forget?” she laughed as Tommy clutched his chest in mock distress. “However, that only gives us a month?” Barbara sounded worried “Is that enough time?”

“That is an urban myth, men forgetting their wedding anniversaries,” he said trying to go for stern but it was ruined by the smile that danced across his face. “First of May, it is, I’ll let the ladies know when we get home and believe me, they can perform miracles if they have enough incentive,”

“Deborah wants to help too, she is taking me wedding dress shopping, I was thinking of asking Dorothy and Judith too. Do you think that would be alright? Will they come to London?” Tommy picked up her hand and kissed the back of it, touched that she was including his mother and sister.

“They would love to help you pick out your wedding dress but do not let them railroad you. I love Deb, my mother and sister dearly but I know they do tend to... take over?” he said diplomatically.

“I will try to reign them in, but with the three of them, no promises.” Even the casual wedding they wanted, Tommy did not doubt that with the four women combined, his bank balance was still going to take a beating, not that he cared in the slightest about the money, it was there to be spent. 

“We can sit down over the weekend and work out roughly what we want. It will at least give Jacqueline and Eleanor an idea of planning. We can do it ourselves if you prefer?” Tommy asked a little worried about letting his nieces help with the planning. While they were fairly sensible girls, they were still overly romantic teenagers.

“No, I’m more than happy for their help. I have no idea how to plan a wedding, or even what we need. I was never one of those girls who had her dream wedding planned. I never even imagined I would marry.” Barbara admitted.

“Well besides a dress for you, we need a marriage celebrant to perform the ceremony and a photographer. We have plenty of tables and chairs at Howenstow. We could use the same caterers that mother used for her birthday. We’d need cake and music and some invitations. I guess that is it?” Tommy ticked the items off on his fingers. 

“What are you wearing?” Barbara asked noting Tommy had not mentioned that.

“My posh togs of course,” he leaned closer to whisper “I like the effect they have on you!” he cheekily wiggled his eyebrows.

“Thomas Lynley!” Barbara gasped shocked “I have no idea what you mean!” of course the grin she was trying to hold back gave her away.

“Come on, we can’t spend all day here, let’s see what Winston has for us,” Tommy pushed his chair back and helped Barbara with her coat as they walked back the three blocks to the Met.

It was one of those days when London could not make up its mind. They had left the house this morning to an overcast day with a cold wind but it had cleared up to a warm sunny day. Of course, by the time they left tonight, it could well have changed again.

“What happens if it’s a rubbish day in May?” Barbara asked worriedly to Tommy’s light chuckle.

“You have seen the size of Howenstow?” Tommy asked humour lacing his voice, “If it is bad weather we will just move it all inside but hopefully it will be a fine day. The back garden is well protected from the wind so we should be fine out there so long as we do not have gale-force winds, which is also possible.”

“That is not helpful!” Barbara lightly slapped his arm as they showed the security guard their passes and headed into the foyer of the Met and over to one of the banks of elevators, waiting with a group of other officers on their way back from lunch.

“Can we pull this off in a month?” Barbara asked again, worried they may be setting the date too soon “I mean we can also do it later after they have arrived.” 

“No, I want it done beforehand. Even if the wedding is not in May I want you legally mine when they are born,” Tommy leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“How very caveman of you,” Barbara replied laughing as they stepped out of the elevator and headed back to their desks to see what Nkata had managed to unearth.


	21. Wedding planning begins with their nieces help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Further details come to light in Lynx's murder. Tommy and Barbara set a wedding date and Jacqueline and Eleanor start helping with the planning and Tommy reveals some family skeletons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667519461/in/dateposted-public/)

“What have you got for us Nkata?” Lynley called upon the Jamaican detective in their daily morning meeting. They were all fortified with coffee and pastries, notebooks at the ready as Lynley ran them all through the progress in the murder case. Nkata finished his coffee and wiped crumbs from his face before standing and walking up to stand beside Lynley. 

“I have found twenty-five yellow convertible Ferrari’s in the Greater London area.” Nkata recited without referring to his notes “Eight driven by women, seventeen by men. Twenty still under a lease agreement and five are fully owned. Only five are around the Kensington area two owned by women and three by men. I’m still following up exact addresses for them all paying particular attention to the Kensington ones.”

“Thanks, Winston,” Lynley looked around the room, “Barbara, what have you got?” he asked as she stood and also walked forward to deliver her report. Lynley had never asked his colleagues to stand to deliver their reports but he was not going to prevent them from doing so.

“We have canvased the area and spoken to some of the women who knew Lynx, real name Leonard James Cartwright. He moved here about three years ago and was not overly fussy about his clients. The women we spoke with said he did have one special client and they saw him dropped off one morning in the yellow Ferrari Winnie is tracking down.” Barbara told the gathered group. “Lafferty has confirmed the mutilation occurred after death,” she just managed to hide her smirk as every man in the room winced at the thought of the boy being alive when he was sliced open.

“How are we going with the CCTV cameras?” Lynley asked the room. One of the detectives towards the back of the group rummaged through a folder in front of him and stood where he was to speak “We have put in a request for the location of any cameras in that area and access to them. However, I think any security cameras in shops may be a better bet. Probably a clearer picture but unfortunately we will have to track them down ourselves.”

“We need a friendly tame hacker,” one of the men complained to everyone’s chuckle and mutters of agreement. Lynley had to admit it would have made things far easier. 

“Nice thought Andrews but we aren’t in an American crime drama on television, this is real life. Get onto that for us and let me know how we go, that will do ladies and gents. Go get me a result.” Lynley waved them off and they disappeared back to their desks to track down leads.

“Lynley” he answered his mobile, not bothering to check the incoming number. 

“Uncle Tommy?” a hesitant girls voice echoed down the line which brought a full-fledged smile to his face.

“Jacqueline, sorry what can I do for you? Is everything alright? Is it your mother?” Tommy questioned. The only time his niece had ever rung him at work was just after her father had died. 

“Oh no, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to worry you,” Tommy hated the worry he had caused his young niece.

“No Jacqueline it is fine, I’m sorry, just preoccupied is all. What can I do for you?” Tommy closed the file to give his niece his full attention.

“Well, mother, Eleanor and I are in London for a few days and I was wondering if we could come around to see you on Saturday. I mean if you and Aunt Barbara did want our help, with the wedding?”

“Barbara and I were talking about that yesterday, we have a date for you,” he had to hold the phone away from his ear to his niece’s sequel of excitement.

“Oh when?” she begged to his chuckle.

“You will have your work cut out for you,” he warned “Saturday the First of May, can you do it.”

“Of course, we can,” Jacqueline told him full of youthful confidence “I will come armed with magazines and we have some ideas and I promise it’s low key,” Tommy chuckled at that.

“Very well, I’ll ask Denton to make pizzas. Say about seven?” Tommy asked to Jacqueline’s agreement. She cheekily ordered him back to work and hung up.

˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Unfortunately, murderers did not take a break so Lynley, Havers and Nkata were all in the office on Saturday morning. It was quieter than a weekday so they could continue gathering facts and go through some of the CCTV footage they had managed to obtain. All of the shop keepers had been more than happy to hand over their security tapes as Lynx had been well-liked and no one wanted a murder on the loose, particularly one who liked to slice open young boys.

By four that afternoon, they had all had enough and were fed up going through hours and hours of blurry vision. The computer guys would be able to clean it up on Monday with any luck so Lynley called time on the day and told Nkata to go home.

“We have wedding planning to start...planning,” Tommy told their colleague to his grin and goodnights. 

It was a quick drive home with fairly light traffic for London, so it was not that long after four-thirty when they were pulling into the garage. Barbara grabbed the bags of groceries Denton had asked for this morning and nudged the car door shut with her hip.

“Hello Ms Barbara,” Denton said as they walked through the kitchen door “Sir, did you, ah good.” He retrieved the bags from Barbara and started pulling out various jars.

“I’m assuming by that lot,” Tommy nodded to the jars “We’re having your famous smelly pizza for dinner?” Tommy picked up a jar of olives reading the label.

“Among others yes, the dough is still raising. I was not expecting you home yet. Tea?” Denton asked flicking on the kettle “I made a pitcher of Pimm’s less, it is in the fridge.” They exchanged a confused look.

“Denton, what the hell is a Pimm’s less?” Tommy asked opening the fridge to peek inside.

“Pimm’s with no alcohol, what else would it be?” Denton replied as if it was perfectly logical. “Ms Barbara and your nieces can partake as well. There is also beer if you prefer.” Just as he said it Tommy spied the beers buried at the back of the shelf and pulled one out, twisting off the top and taking a swig. 

“I’m heading up for a shower and to get changed before the others get here,” Barbara told the men and headed upstairs to freshen up. She felt grubby, tired and irritable. It was nothing specific, just hormones acting up again. She had told her male colleagues not to treat her any differently to which they had shaken their heads. She had assumed it was because of her engagement to Lynley but she’d swiftly been told they didn’t care a bit about that. She was doing something none of them could so like it or not, they would look out for her. Of course, instead of making her angry, she had teared up and muttered “Damn hormones” to their chuckles.

“I’m going to get changed too Denton, thanks,” Tommy told the other man and tossed his beer bottle in with the other bottles and headed upstairs. The shower was running as he pulled out jeans and a shirt and sat on the side of the bed to pull his shoes off just as the shower shut off. A few minutes later Barbara walked out wrapped in his dressing gown. She gave him a tired smile.

“Why don’t you have a sleep for a few hours?” Tommy asked standing up “You look done in,” she had taken no special privileges at work, but he did not like the dark smudges under Barbara’s eyes. “Please? I’ll wake you at about six-thirty?”

“Thank you,” Barbara did not even bother arguing as she walked around the other side of the bed and tossed back the covers, dropping his dressing-gown across the bench at the bottom of the bed and climbed into bed, she had dropped off to sleep by the time Tommy got out of the shower.

˚**•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Tommy crouched down beside Barbara, brushed her hair back from her forehead and dropped a light kiss to her temple. She looked more rested than she had earlier. 

“Barbara,” Tommy whispered and was rewarded with the sleepy blink of those stunning green eyes and a slow smile.

“Hi,” she whispered returning his smile.

“It is twenty past six and Denton has pizzas ready for the oven. Do you want to come and join us?” he asked, and Barbara nodded as she threw back the blankets and sat up. “How are you feeling?” Tommy asked handing her his dressing gown.

“Much better. The doctor did warn me about the tiredness, but I thought it would be much later on.” Barbara complained as she pulled out a pair of stretchy black trousers and a comfortable blue jumper that covered her growing bump. “Good enough?” at Tommy’s nod she slipped on a pair of shoes.

“It is just pizzas at home, you look fine,” Tommy told her, kissing her cheek. “Come on. Let’s go wait for the others,” hand in hand they walked down to the lower level to the media room. It was fast becoming Barbara’s favourite place. She was looking forward to when it was warm enough to have the back doors open. The kitchen level smelled divine and it made Barbara’s mouth water.

“Denton that smells amazing,” Barbara walked into the kitchen and stared into the oven, watching the pizzas bubble away through the glass door. 

“Thank you, Ms Barbara, your smelly pizza is in there and I’ve laid out canapes in the media room. There is more room in there,” just as Denton finished speaking the front doorbell chimes echoed through the house. Untying his apron, Denton tossed it on the bench and hurried upstairs.

“Tommy, Barbara,” Judith hurried over to hug them both. “How are you feeling?” she asked Barbara to her smile.

“A little tired but not too bad, hello Jacqueline, Eleanor,” the girls hurried forward to embrace her as well as Tommy. “So, what plans do you have for us?” she asked to the girl's excitement as they pushed the coffee table closer to the couch and told Barbara, Tommy and their mother to sit. Grinning Barbara did as she was asked.

“Well you and Uncle Tommy have not given us a lot of time,” Jacqueline said pulling out a huge stack of wedding magazines, coloured flags marking page after page. “It isn’t as bad as it looks, I promise you,” Jacqueline told them grinning at the look on Barbara’s face. 

“I sincerely hope not Jacqueline,” Barbara told her laughingly. “Let’s see what you have planned,” 

“Well, as you want to keep it simple we thought we could use the same people who did Grandma’s birthday dinner, we know what their food is like and they could do the cake too. We could do canapes and champagne for starters and then maybe two different main meals and the cake could be dessert?” Jacqueline opened up a couple of the magazines and spread them out across the table to show Barbara and Tommy what she meant. 

It certainly made sense to use caterers that they had already used and the meal for Dorothy’s birthday had been amazing and the layout Jacqueline was showing them was so pretty. For the first time, Barbara felt the first stirrings of excitement. Not that she didn’t want to marry Tommy, she did, however, she had never been a wedding type of woman. 

“What is your favourite colour Aunt Barbara?” Eleanor asked from her spot on the floor.

“Oh, ummm blue or green,” she said hurriedly, never having thought about it much “Maybe purple? Tommy?”

“Blue,” he told the ladies as Denton placed a tray with the jug of Pimm's and glasses on the floor near Jacqueline.

“Pimm’s less Pimm’s,” he said to Judith’s startled look as she looked up at him.

“Fancy name for a mocktail,” Tommy supplied as the girls poured glasses as Denton hurried back to the oven, checking his pizzas. The smell was making Tommy’s stomach grumble. 

“We were thinking of something like this,” Jacqueline flipped to another page and turned the magazine so they could see the double-page spread. Barbara’s breath caught. It was stunning. 

“It is beautiful Jacqueline, but I cannot see you could achieve that look at Howenstow,” Tommy said picking up the magazine to his niece’s shrug. The back garden was surrounded by a small stone wall, he and his siblings had played there as children, and some plants were climbing the walls and a couple of small flower beds, but that was it. There was no structure from which they could hang the fabric in the pictures. 

“You leave that to us Uncle Tommy, but you and Aunt Barbara are not to peak when you get there,” Eleanor told them sternly. “It is a surprise,”

“If you could tear yourselves away, dinner is ready,” Denton called from the doorway as they scrambled to their feet and headed to the dining table in the kitchen. As soon as everyone had found their seats Denton put two boards on the table with pizzas already cut as everyone dug in. 

“I’ve spoken to the printer who did mother’s invitations and they are happy to do a rush job,” Judith added as she dug into a piece of pizza. “We have some samples if you want to have a look.”

“And we need music,” Eleanor said, “For your first dance,” she imitated them dancing to Barbara’s laugh, but it suddenly occurred to her she had no idea how to waltz, it was not something she had ever had any reason to learn. She did not doubt that Tommy would know how to dance beautifully. “Michael’s brother could do it, he did your friend’s birthday,” Eleanor excitedly asked Jacqueline to her frantic shushing of her younger sister.

“It is alright Jacqueline; a DJ is fine by us.” Tommy assured his niece “All the better if it is someone we know. I assume you are inviting Michael?” he did not miss her shocked look, but she grinned and nodded happily but Eleanor was shooting daggers at her sister.

“What’s wrong Eleanor?” Judith asked her younger daughter.

“It’s not fair, Jacqui can bring a friend, just because she’s got a _boy_ friend!” she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her sister. Tommy could see a full-scale sibling war about to start.

“You can bring your boyfriend Eleanor,” Tommy told her seriously to her giggles.

“I don’t have a boyfriend Uncle Tommy,” she smiled up at him “But can I bring Cynthia, she’s my bestest friend in the whole wide world.” Tommy honestly could not remember having a bestest friend, but he was not going to disappoint his niece.

“Yes, you can bring Cynthia, you and she can share a room,” the young girl raced around the table and threw her arms around his neck, proclaiming her Uncle Tommy the best uncle ever. 

Barbara adored Tommy’s easy loving relationship with his nieces and had no doubt he would be an amazing father. She knew it was unfair but more and more often Barbara was comparing her own family to Tommy’s and she knew which she wanted for her babies. Barbara had never been materialistic, but she had to admit that living in Tommy’s townhouse was no hardship and lying awake worrying about money and how she was going to pay the next bill was not something she missed.

“We will need to come up with some numbers, for the caterers,” Tommy said getting up to grab paper and a pen and snagging another piece of pizza on the way. 

“Well there is the family,” he wrote down everyone around the table plus his mother, brother and his girlfriend. “That gives us eight, Judith are you bringing a guest and we should ask mother if she is bringing anyone plus Michael and Cynthia, so make that twelve family guests,”

“We have to invite Simon, Deborah and their kids,” Barbara ticked them off on her fingers and Tommy added them to the list “That makes sixteen.”

“I’d like to include Mark and John Penellin, they have been with us for years,” Tommy added them to the list “What about Winston and Stuart?” Barbara nodded.

“Well if we are inviting work colleagues I’d like to add Fiona Knight and we cannot get married without Charlie being there,” the younger man beamed at being included in their wedding plans. 

“Assuming that they are all bringing guests we are looking at twenty-six people,” Tommy quickly added the names up. “In case we think of anyone else let’s say thirty people for catering purposes?”

“Will Howenstow hold thirty guests?” Barbara asked a little worriedly to both Tommy and Judith’s chuckle and nod.

“Oh yes, mother converted the barn into extra accommodation when we were teenagers,” Judith explained “It wasn’t too bad when only Tommy was bringing friends home but when I started to as well it was fought over who got the guest rooms and then Peter got in on the act and I think it was one of the very few times I saw our mother lose her temper at us,” Judith chuckled at the memory. 

“Yes, we were banished back to school,” Tommy chuckled “The barn had been converted when term finished, and we returned home. All the old workers' rooms had been updated and modernised to guest rooms.”

“There are ten rooms up there I think. I mean they are only basic, bed, wardrobe and dresser but enough for people to crash at after the wedding. We will have to see if we need to supply bed linen and towels.” Judith jotted it down to ask her mother. 

“You can’t stay with Aunt Barbara either Uncle Tommy, you’ll have to stay in the barn,” Eleanor told him very sternly as she finished the pizza.

“Oh?” Tommy questioned, eyebrows climbing his forehead. “Why is that?” he knew exactly what his niece was getting at, however, he had always teased the young girls. 

“Uncle Tommy!” he just managed to hold back his grin at Eleanor’s exasperation “You can’t see Aunt Barbara before the wedding, it’s bad luck. You will have to stay in the barn,” Tommy just nodded before Jacqueline interrupted.

“No, he can’t do that,” she informed her younger sister “They can’t see the decorations before the wedding. Uncle Tommy can stay in one of the guest rooms in the main house. Grandma and mummy will make sure he doesn’t see Aunt Barbara,” Barbara could not control her laughter at the thought of Dorothy and Judith standing guard at her bedroom door. 

“Or look out the windows, Uncle Tommy will have to have a front room,” Tommy just sat back, unable to keep the smile off his face as his nieces casually ordered him around. However, he knew he would not do anything to ruin their surprise so he would go along with their demands.

“You have my word that I will not seek out Barbara the night before or the morning of the wedding and I will not look out the back windows either,” Tommy crossed his heart and then crossed his fingers to his nieces' acceptance. Barbara would get an explanation for that later. 

However, by nine that night Barbara was once again feeling like she was ready for bed and found herself fighting to stay awake. 

“I think we have provided Tommy and Barbara with more than enough information for one night girls, come on time we went home.” Jacqueline started tidying up the coffee table and Eleanor took the mugs back to the kitchen.

“You’re not driving home tonight?” Barbara demanded looking at her watch.

“Oh, heavens no, sorry. I have a flat over in Battersea, the girls and I are staying there while we are in London.” Judith explained slipping on her coat. “You will have to come over for lunch one day, there are a few lovely restaurants on the boardwalk. We can spend my brother’s money on wedding goodies,” she laughed and kissed Tommy on the cheek to his playful growl. 

“Good night Aunt Barbara, we didn’t overwhelm you too much did we?” Jacqueline asked as she hugged Barbara and Tommy. 

“No not at all Jacqueline, it all looks lovely. Thank you so much for all your help.” Barbara assured the young girl and walked to the front steps to see them all off, waving until the car disappeared around the corner.

Denton had quietly told them to go to bed as Judith and the girls had left, he would clean up, so they climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Denton had already turned on the bedside lamps and turned down the blankets for them. It still made Barbara feel like she was living in a five-star hotel.

“I want to buy Jacqueline and Eleanor something special for all the help they have given us in planning a wedding in a month,” Barbara suggested as she pulled her pyjamas out from under her pillow. “When I go shopping for your wedding ring?” 

“Sure, you don’t want me to go with you?” Tommy playfully asked, not dodging the pillow Barbara thew at him fast enough to his laugh.

“No, you are not coming with me,” she laughed, “I think I’ll ask Deborah’s help.” Barbara climbed into bed. “I didn’t know Judith had a flat in Battersea,”

“Yes, she has had it since she was first married. She kept it after her husband died,” Barbara did not miss the hardness in Tommy’s tone.

“What happened to him?” she asked as he climbed into bed. “I noticed neither Judith nor the girls ever mention him,”

“He was murdered,” Tommy said expressionlessly “Do you remember our first case? In Yorkshire?” Barbara nodded “Nies and I have never got along, as you know, but I loathed my brother in law even more. We were seen arguing a few days before he was murdered, and yes I punched him, so I was the prime suspect in Nies opinion. Naturally, he was not looking too hard to find the real killer so I spent two frustrating days in the lock-up until he pulled his head out of his arse and started doing his damn job.”

“So, what happened to your brother in law?” Barbara asked curiously. She had been aware of the tensions between Tommy and Nies in Yorkshire but had other things on her mind at the time, like working with her posh new senior officer

“His car was run off the road and he was shot through the window,” Tommy told her emotionless “The killer did not attempt to cover the crime. As we had been seen arguing a few days prior, and Nies made no secret of his dislike of me, I was his prime suspect. Unfortunately for him, my alibi was unbreakable so he had to finally look elsewhere.”

“So, who did kill him?” Barbara pushed for an answer.

“The husband of the woman Davenport had been having an affair with. She had tried to call an end to it, but he was not having that so he threatened to tell her husband. She beat him to it and the husband gunned him down. He didn’t even try to deny it.” Tommy tugged Barbara closer so he could hold her as he talked. It was not a period of his life he was particularly proud of, but as his fiancée, she had a right to know. 

“Hang on,” Barbara looked up at him as something struck her as odd, “If he was Davenport, why are Judith, Jacqueline and Eleanor Lynley’s?”

“Judith converted back to her maiden name and had the girls' surname changed legally after their father died. He was never much of a father to them. Eleanor was not quite three when her father died so she has very few memories of him and Jacqueline was seven. Judith did all she could to make it work but it was a losing cause. The flat in Battersea was purchased in my name so he could not get his grubby hands on it. That was mother’s idea or else he would have sold that out from underneath his wife and daughters as well.”

“He sounds like a right piece of work,” Barbara said not liking the sound of the man at all. She had developed a firm friendship with Judith and adored her daughters. “I always thought with your money your life must be perfect with no worries at all but that isn’t right either,” 

“Wealth is a double-edged sword,” Tommy replied dropping a kiss onto her hair “While I have never had to worry about paying the bills or putting food on the table, which I am very grateful for. There are also plenty of unscrupulous people, like my ex-brother in law, who only see my family as their private bank,”

“Was he ever,” Barbara paused not sure how to vocalise her worry, “Was he ever physical towards Judith or the girls,”

“Not that Judith ever admitted to me, she knows damn well I would have killed him, but I suspect he was.” Tommy pulled Barbara closer, kissing her head “Get some sleep, it’s late and hopefully, we can sleep in tomorrow.” It sounded like a perfect day to Barbara as she snuggled up to him under the covers and drifted off to sleep. 

It took Tommy longer to drift off even with Barbara in his arms. He had disliked Edward Davenport from the moment they had met and that dislike had only deepened as his and Judith’s relationship developed. However, his sister had been young and in love and had refused to listen to Tommy’s concerns and he had felt useless to protect his beloved sister. The only good things to come from that marriage was his nieces as far as Tommy was concerned. Eventually, sleep claimed him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the fun part stats, wedding planning!


	22. Barbara meets Sebastian and Annabelle St James

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynley and Havers meet one of their main suspects and Lynley puts Sarah-Beth in her place.
> 
> Barbara also meets Tommy's godchildren, Sebastian and Annabelle St James and they ask Deborah and Simon to be their witnesses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667599727/in/dateposted-public/)

Lynley stormed back to his office in a filthy mood. He had just been up to see Hillier for their weekly meeting and of course, things were not moving fast enough for the Assistant Commissioner. _What did the man damn well expect?_ Lynley thought annoyed _Someone to knock on the front door and confess to slicing open a teenage prostitute?_ As usual, any meeting with Hillier left Lynley in a bad mood. His team had worked with him for long enough by now to know to leave him alone after any meeting with Hillier. 

Lynley slammed his office door and shrugged out of his jacket, tugging his tie loose. He hung up his jacket and tossed the tie over the coat rack, feeling choked by the damn thing. Folding his sleeves back he headed for his desk to see if any further details of the murder had come to light. Lynley had hardly booted up his computer before there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he called out, typing in his password and hitting enter. He looked up as Nkata’s head poked around the door.

“I’ve got some information for you,” Nkata said as he backed into the room and handed Lynley a mug of tea to his thanks.

“I hope it’s good Winston, I’ve just been raked over the coals by Hillier,” Lynley sipped his tea, it was hot and strong.

“Barbara and I have been going through the registered addresses of the Ferrari's.” Nkata pulled out a sheet of paper. “I don’t think it’s Holland Park we need to focus on,” he laid the paper on Lynley’s desk, it was a map of Kensington and Nkata pointed to a smaller park, “I think this is the park the ladies were referring to and these houses,”

“Edwardes Square?” Lynley questioned, studying the map and looking up at Nkata.

“Yes Sir, it is still a large park and the houses on Earls Terrace back right onto the park and there is a yellow Ferrari registered at number 17.” Nkata handed over the second sheet of paper with the names and addresses of all the Ferrari owners that he had tracked down. Hight lighted in yellow was one name - Farshid Kazemi.

“I know the information the ladies gave us is flimsy at best, however, if what they told us is correct, there are only two names that tick every box.” Before Lynley could comment Nkata handed over a final sheet of paper “I’ve already cross-referenced all the other drivers. Kazemi and a Sarah-Beth Collins are the only possibilities. She lives a block away. She has two charges of prostitution and one of cocaine possession. Kazemi has no form, just one parking ticket.”

Lynley did some quick calculations from the information Nkata supplied. Kazemi was twenty-five and Collins twenty-six. From her charge sheet photo, she was a petite dark-haired woman with fake breasts threatening to spill from her low cut top and a knowing smirk. Cynically Lynley could not help wondering how old the actual owner of the Ferrari was. 

“See what background you can dig up on them all Nkata. Pay particular attention to these two,” Nkata stood to leave “Winston, good work,” Lynley praised the younger detective as he smiled in return and disappeared out the door.

Diving back into the paperwork Lynley hardly registered a knock on his door.

“You busy?” Havers questioning voice broke into his concentration and he finally looked up, smiling at seeing her.

“Sorry I was reading over these reports. What did you find out at Soho?” he indicated the chair on the other side of his desk and turned to face her. Barbara looked far more rested than she had on Friday.

They had spent Sunday lounging around the house and bickering over TV crime dramas. Denton had told them there were leftovers in the fridge and had disappeared for the day. They had dozed on and off on the couch in the media room and sat downstairs with Denton eating ordered in Chinese food and laughing over the ridiculous messages in the fortune cookies.

“We have found a few more CCTV cameras and I’ve spoken to the store owners. I convinced them to hand over the videos. Two have a clear view of the walk-up door and another of the street out the front. A bright yellow Ferrari is hard to miss so hopefully it was caught on camera.” Havers read from her notes and looked up to see a smirk dancing across Lynley’s face “What?” she demanded slightly annoyed.

“Oh nothing, just curious about your _convincing_ them?” he laughed at her wide-eyed innocent expression. He was not buying it; he’s seen Havers at work more than once over the years. She could be extremely convincing when it suited her.

“I’ve also had a chat with some of the more... colourful characters of Soho. It seems that in the last few years that London’s upper crust men have decided to... slum it, so to speak. Instead of paying exorbitant prices to hire a high-class escort for the night, they are now focusing their attention on a cheap quick encounter from the street prostitutes.” Tommy could not help grimacing in distaste. These ladies were not a throwaway commodity. 

“So, we have a range of the upper crust men of London, as you call them, who have the means to hide behind their legal counsel and a young boy slaughtered like an animal in his room,” Lynley demanded angrily. Sometimes he honestly wondered why he did this.

“That pretty much sums it up yes,” Havers replied sitting back and watching the emotions fly across Lynley’s face. It had not taken her long to learn to read him, from nearly their first case together, so from long years of practice, she could see the frustration written across his face.

“One day I would like a murderer to just knock on the front door and say, “I did it”, and we could just wrap it up without all this...” Lynley indicated the ever-growing pile of paperwork on his desk. Havers had to agree. 

“We will get him. A bright yellow convertible Ferrari is hard to miss and Winnie has narrowed down his search. Come on, lunch is on me,” Havers said picking up her notebook and leaving Lynley’s door open. Grinning at her straightforwardness Lynley grabbed his jacket and followed his fiancée out of the building. 

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Finally, things had started to move along, and they had received detailed background information on all of the Ferrari drivers. There were only two drivers among the list that Lynley wanted more background on - Farshid Kazemi and Sarah-Beth Collins.

Both Ferrari’s were registered under alternative names. Farshid’s was registered to _Kazemi Halal Meats and Small Goods_ , Lynley suspected a family business by the matching surnames. Sarah-Beth’s was registered to a very wealthy newspaper magnate. There had been a very public, very messy and _very_ expensive divorce in Maximilian Walsh’s not so distant past and Lynley could not help wondering if Sarah-Beth was the reason for that. Scanning down the page Lynley found the owners details, he was fifty-five to Sarah-Beth’s twenty-six. Something about that situation just did not sit right with Lynley. 

Pushing back his chair and standing to stretch his legs Lynley watched Havers through the open door. She had spun her chair around and was talking with Nkata and Andrews, waving a piece of paper around. He could not hear what she was saying, but he knew she was emphasising some point she wanted to make. She slammed the paper back down on her desk and he could not help but grin as she laced her fingers together and laid them over the top of her growing bump. She seemed far less self-conscious of her pregnancy now that everyone knew their situation. She had kept her promise and not put herself in any danger and he was trying not to restrict her to desk duty before she was forced to. However, Barbara had agreed that if the tiredness got too much or she was just having a bad day she would take the day off.

“Have you found anything else for me?” Lynley asked walking over to the three of them. Nkata and Andrews looked slightly guilty. 

“We have,” Havers just smirked up at him but offered no further explanation.

“Well?” Lynley raised an eyebrow in a query as Havers handed over the paper. “We have been digging into Kazemi and Collins. Kazemi is the sole heir to Kazemi Halal Meats and Small Goods. His father, Mobasseri Kazemi, started with a single stall in the Portobello Road Market to now running a worldwide importer and exporter of fine foods. He has four sisters but none of them has any interest, financial or otherwise, in the business. Mr Kazemi has been recorded on numerous occasions voicing his...antiquated views,”

“Antiquated views?” Lynley questioned, looking up from the paper he had been reading as Havers spoke.

“You know, women should know their place, in the kitchen and bedroom, only of use to give him sons.” She said anger colouring her tone. “Farshid is his only son, they did have another however he died at five years of age. The four daughters will all married off as soon as possible I would guess,” reading over the list of children Lynley stopped and reread it.

“Are these dates correct?” he asked shocked to both Havers and Nkata’s nod.

“Mrs Kazemi had six children within just over seven years,” Lynley could not hide the shock in his voice. “That’s...fast!” was all he could manage.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

It was well after midday and Lynley and Havers were still waiting to speak with Sarah-Beth. The housekeeper had admitted them at eleven-thirty, but she still had not arisen from her bedroom. Lynley’s temper was fast fraying. This was a murder investigation and he was about to storm upstairs and drag her down to speak with them.

The click-clack of high heels across the marble floors on the other side of the large white doors alerted them to a woman’s presence and he could only hope it was the elusive Sarah-Beth. She pulled open the doors and flung herself through them in such a manner Lynley could not help thinking she expected them to applaud. She was wearing skin-tight jeans, a white jumper, clearly with no bra on underneath and full pouty red lips. 

“Broom Hilda here said ya wanted to see me?” she said in a voice that was like nails down a chalkboard to Lynley’s ear. Catching sight of Lynley her whole persona changed immediately “Well hello there ‘andsome, what you want then?” she made absolutely no effort to hide the fact she was sizing him up and Lynley was entirely unimpressed. She may be living in a house worth millions of pounds, but she did not belong here. The prostitutes in Soho had more class than this little tart Lynley thought. 

“Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. We need to speak with you regarding your car.” Lynley made the introductions and Sarah-Beth gave Havers a fleeting glance and then ignored her. 

“You want a drink? I’m ‘aving one?” she poured herself a very large scotch and held up the decanter which Lynley declined “So what can I do for ya ‘andsome? Come and sit, we can have a chat like?” she patted the seat of the couch she was sitting on. Deliberately Lynley sat opposite her, to her childish pout when she did not get her way. 

“Do you drive a convertible yellow Ferrari?” Havers asked taking out her notebook. Sarah-Beth barely looked at her as she was so focused on Lynley. 

“Yeah what of it? Me Maxie gave it to me for me birthday a few months back. He said I gotta have something reliable like,” Lynley was quite sure Maxie could have found a far less expensive car than a bright yellow Ferrari. It was far too flashy for his tastes, but he suspected that is why this young woman was driving it. 

“That’s a very expensive birthday gift Ms Collins,” Havers said looking up from where she was taking notes. 

“Yeah it is, so what? I’m worth it, I am? Bet no one never bought you nothing expensive like,” she tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder glaring at Havers who just gave her a cheery grin in return. Lynley just managed to choke on his snort of laughter. _You have no idea_ he privately thought. 

“We just need to know if you have been up to Soho in the last few weeks?” Lynley asked trying to get the interview back on track. They had wasted enough time already and needed to try to pin down where their two main suspects had been. 

“Why would I be goin’ up to Soho? What you getting at? I ain’t no tart I ain't. I’m gonna be a proper actress. My Maxie said so, he’s gonna get me a part in a real film he is.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them both. Lynley was seriously worried about her popping out of that low cut top. He had no doubt she was well aware of her normal effect on men, but he was less than interested. 

“We are checking all yellow convertible Ferrari’s in London,” Havers smoothly interjected “Just routine,” _at the moment_ , Havers privately thought. She did not like this cheap little tart. She had no doubt the sort of film her boyfriend was going to put her in and Havers could guarantee it would not be released for public viewing however she kept that thought to herself. No point in antagonising one of their potential suspects.

“Well I ain’t been there, ain’t got no need to no more,” she snapped at Havers, glaring at her. “I got lessons and stuff to go to,”

“Lessons?” Havers asked innocently looking up from her note-taking “For elocution?” Lynley managed to cover his laugh with a cough as he tried to get the conversation back on track.

“Where were you on the weekend of twenty and twenty-first of March?” Lynley asked bringing her attention back to him. 

“I don’t know, do I. I gotta go check,” Sarah-Beth stood and strode from the room without asking permission, flicking her waist-length hair over her shoulder. She was back moments later looking through an old fashioned diary. It seemed rather out of character for the young woman. “Me and Maxie were at some party at Madame Tussauds, it were super fucking creepy, all those wax people staring at me.” She shuddered at the memory and handed Lynley the diary. From the entries, it was Maximilian’s appointment diary. Sure enough, the embossed invitation was stapled to the top of the page and below it was written “Hair with Timofei”, “Tan at Eugène” and “Nails”. Ms Collins was very high maintenance. Lynley handed the diary to Havers and she copied down the relevant information.

“And where were you on Sunday? The twenty-first?” Havers asked to Sarah-Beth’s glare.

“I were sleeping off me hangover,” she snarled in return, “Me and Maxie went on a bender, you know a free bar and all, but maybe you don’t,” Lynley would have defended Havers in an instant, however, wanted to see how this was going to play out. Havers however just chuckled at the rude little tart and continued taking notes.

“Did ya hear me you fat old cow?” Sarah-Beth snapped and Havers looked up at her.

“Yes, I heard you, clearly your Maxie has never taught you any manners has he? Such a filthy mouth, but then he’s not expecting you to be a lady now is he?” Sarah-Beth lunged across the coffee table; claws outstretched to get at Havers but Lynley grabbed her before she could reach Havers' face.

“You do not want to do that,” he warned sternly to her furious glare “I am sure you do not want to add assaulting a police officer to your previous charges?” she wrenched her wrist out of Lynley’s grasp and glared at them both. “That is all we need, for now, good day Ms Collins,” he let Havers leave before him before turning back and facing the scowling woman on the couch “You were wrong you know, about anyone buying Havers anything expensive,” at her puzzled look, Lynley continued “Her engagement ring is worth far more than your car, I know, I bought it for her,” and at her shocked gasp Lynley left her, striding through the house to climb into the car. 

The rest of the afternoon had been an exercise in frustration. They had driven around the corner to call upon Farshid Kazemi to be told by his housekeeper he was on holidays. No, she did not know where he had gone or when she was returning. She had packed his five suitcases about a month ago and one of his father’s cars had picked him up to take him to the airport, but beyond that, she did not know where he was. Lynley got the distinct impression she did not care either. Lynley left his card and told her to give it to Farshid and ask him to phone when he returned. She promised she would but Lynley was not hopeful.

“Well it is multilevel and backs onto a park,” Havers said trying to be helpful to Lynley’s glare. She did not take it personally; she knew he was under pressure from the higher-ups. “Come on, let’s head back and I’ll get onto someone I know at Heathrow and see if he can shed some light on where Kazemi had headed off to,” she had to hide her grin as Lynley stomped back to where he had parked the car.

“Your daddy is in a bad mood,” she told the babies in a sing-song voice, rubbing her stomach, and followed Lynley to the car. 

Once they returned to Victoria Embankment Havers pulled her battered old address book out of her top draw, checked a number and placed the call. As much as Lynley wanted to know who she was talking to, he knew that was him just being overprotective, not professional in the least, so he headed into his office but left the door open.

He could hear Havers tinkling laugh floating through the door and hated to admit to himself he did not like the fact another man was making his fiancée laugh. Booting up his computer Lynley read over the few emails he had received while they had been out. 

One brought a huge smile to his face and clicking it open he read the short, badly spelt email from his godson and goddaughter asking him to come to tea on Saturday so they could meet Barbara. He did not doubt that Deborah was behind the invitation but it had been weeks since he had seen his friends so he sent back a short reply to Sebastian and Annabelle that he would be there at three and he would bring Barbara with him. He wondered if Deborah had told her children that Barbara was pregnant?

“What are you smiling about?” Barbara asked dropping into the chair on the other side of Tommy’s desk. 

“We have a tea invitation from two little Easter bunnies,” he replied, chuckling to Barbara’s clear confusion. “Sebastian and Annabelle want us to join them in an Easter egg hunt at three on Saturday. Are you up for it?”

“Well I’m not sure how much hunting I will be doing but it will be fun watching you scurry around in the garden,” she chuckled at his playful glare “Will we have to get some eggs for them,” 

“You do know that if we leave them on a sugar high, Simon and Deborah are going to get us back for it someday, don’t you?” he chuckled at the thought.

“Without a doubt,” Havers replied “I’ve spoken to Ryan,” at Lynley’s confused look she continued “My guy at Heathrow, I’ve given him all the details and he’ll get back to us when he has something. I’ve laid the paperwork trail at your door,” Lynley just shook his head in resignation. They needed the information, so it was a small enough price to pay.

The rest of the week was one frustration after frustration as all their leads just led to new leads in different directions. Ryan had got back to Havers to say that Farshid had flown to Iran and had a return ticket for two days after Easter and had given them the flight details they needed and Ryan let them know he had put an alert on Farshid as soon as he cleared customs. Sarah-Beth’s alibi checked out however they had not written her off completely yet. She was hiding something. 

By Friday Havers looked exhausted and frankly, Lynley had also had enough so he told their colleagues that he would see them Monday and to enjoy however much of the Easter break they could and hustled Barbara out of the office. Both knew they could be called off rota at a moment’s notice but scoring a full weekend off was a luxury. There had been a lot of good-natured ribbing about it but Lynley’s team knew he would never pull rank on them and he was just a phone call away.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Saturday had been a lazy day; they had made love in the morning and then shared a shower, so it was close to lunchtime before they headed down to the kitchen to raid the refrigerator. Denton kept it well stocked with food Barbara could eat so she and Tommy took their lunch outside. It was a nice enough day to sit in the yard which was where Denton found them when he returned home around two that afternoon. 

Not saying a word, he dropped two gift bags on the table and picked up their empty dishes, carrying them inside. Peaking inside the closest bad Barbara grinned.

“Easter eggs, for the hunt I presume?” she asked, to Tommy’s nod.

“Yes, it has become rather a tradition. Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked finishing his coffee.

“Of course not why should I?” Barbara asked confused “Deborah has been pestering me about catching up again. Have you thought about your best man yet? I’m assuming you are asking Simon?” Tommy nodded “Good, I want to ask Deborah to be my, what do women have? Bridesmaid is too young? Anyway, I was thinking that Sebastian and Annabelle could be our page boy and flower girl?” 

“You’ve been reading Jacqueline’s wedding magazines haven’t you?” Tommy accused laughing to her nod. “I had not thought of the kids but that is a lovely idea. I’m sure Deb and Simon will agree. Speaking of, we should get a move on,”

The drive to Chelsea was only ten minutes, however, it took a further ten to find a parking spot, which to Tommy’s frustration ended up being on the side street near Simon’s house after he had driven past it three times. Barbara could not help her chuckle at the annoyed look on his face. 

Locking the Bristol, they walked around the corner and up the stairs of the house on the corner. It was a tall red brick house with flowers in the window box and black wrought iron railing around the second floor. Tommy’s knock on the door was greeted with furious barking and a stern demand of “Peaches be quiet!” before the door was opened by an older gentleman holding a squirming puppy in his arms. 

“Good afternoon Master Lynley, please come in,” he stood aside trying to control the wiggling puppy and close the door at the same time. Barbara took pity on the man and closed the door behind her.

“Hello Joseph, I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Barbara Havers,” Joseph put the wiggling puppy down and it immediately sniffed around Tommy and Barbara’s feet and deciding they were no threat tore off through the house barking madly. “Barbara, this is Joseph Cotter, Simon’s father in law and housekeeper extraordinaire,” 

“Congratulations Master Lynley, Ms Havers. Simon and Deborah are in the yard with the children. Shall I bring champagne?” he questioned.

“That would be lovely Joseph, unfortunately, I am not allowed to drink right now,” Barbara balanced her hand on her bump to Joseph’s smile.

“How about a nice cup of tea then?” Barbara nodded her thanks “I will bring a tray to the garden then.”

“I know the way Joseph, thank you,” Tommy said and lead Barbara down a long hallway and into a brightly lit kitchen with a large dining table with a huge bowl of fruit sitting on top in the middle of the room. French doors stood open that led out into a large garden with two children rummaging through the shrubbery. 

Deborah caught sight of Tommy and Barbara at the doorway and grinned, holding her hand up to halt their progress. Simon looked up as well and grinned, having no doubt what his wife was up to. Tommy quietly stepped out of the house and stood at the edge of the lawn and nodded to Deborah.

“Sebastian, Annabelle,” she called out “Look who is here!” A sturdy little boy of about four with a shock of light brown hair and his younger sister with her blonde hair in ponytails turned to look in their mother's direction. 

“Uncle Tommy!” Sebastian yelled as he and his sister tore down the yard as fast as their legs would carry them. “Uncle Tommy,” 

Tommy braced himself as both children ran straight at him, not slowing at all as the crashed into him and sent them all rolling back onto the lawn as the yard exploded with their laughter and giggles as Tommy tickled them both and smacked their cheeks with wet sloppy kisses. Barbara now understood Denton’s comment about getting grass stains out of clothes. 

“That’s enough you two, let Tommy up,” Simon ordered his children who reluctantly climbed off Tommy and let him sit up. Annabelle promptly plonked herself in his lap. “Did you bring us Easter eggs, Uncle Tommy?” Sebastian asked well aware Tommy normally bought them presents.

“I did, but I brought you something else too, let me up Belle,” the little girl clambered off his lap and Tommy stood up, ushering each child over to where Barbara was sitting. He crouched down between them, an arm around their waist, holding them close. “I want you to meet someone very important to me. Sebastian, Annabelle I want you to meet Barbara.” Two sets of eyes turned to stare at the newcomer. 

“Hello,” Barbara said, feeling like a bug under a microscope but she knew how important the St James family were to Tommy and how much he adored his godchildren.

“Hello,” Annabelle replied, not taking her eyes off Barbara “I’m nearly four and I have a new puppy.” 

“I saw your new puppy, he is very cute,” Barbara had never been around children very much, but she was going to have to learn and fast. 

“We have a kitty too, but Sampson is lazy and sleeping somewhere. Peaches has a scratch on her nose from teasing him.” Sebastian added, not wanting to be left out. “Do you have a kitty?”

“No, we don’t have a kitty. Do you think we should get one?” they both vigorously nodded their heads. 

“Well we have another surprise for you,” Tommy added nodding towards Barbara “We are having two babies in a few months.” 

“Two!” Barbara had to hold back a chuckle at Annabelle’s shocked gasp and wide-eyed stare at Barbara. She was adorable. “Both of them are in there?” she pointed to Barbara’s belly to Tommy’s chuckle. 

“Tea?” Joseph interrupted them as he carried a tea tray outside and carefully put it on the table. 

“Poppy, Poppy guess what? Uncle Tommy is having TWO babies,” Sebastian told him in the same awe-filled voice that his sister had used. 

“Isn’t Uncle Tommy clever?” Joseph replied somehow managing to keep a straight face as both Deborah and Simon were chuckling at their children. “Come now, sit up properly and have your afternoon tea. You can have some of your eggs later,” both children put the eggs they had collected in the garden into their baskets but kept a close eye on them.

“Thanks, Dad,” Deborah said as her father dealt with the children so the adults could talk in peace. He sliced the cake for them all and gave each child a small piece and a glass of lemonade and kept them occupied at the other end of the table. 

“I would be lost without Dad and Nancy,” Deborah said noticing Barbara watching her father talk with his grandchildren. “I can put you in touch with the agency we hired Nancy from. Just think about it?” Barbara nodded glad of the support. “But come, let me give you a tour,” Deborah pushed her chair back and held out her hand, effectively stealing Barbara.

The pride in Deborah’s voice was clear as she gave Barbara the grand tour as she called it. The house was beautiful, a blend of formal house and comfy home. Barbara had to smile seeing all the lower shelves in the library were full of children’s books. Two smaller desks, identical to their father’s, sat to one side of the library. 

They walked up to the next level and into Annabelle’s bedroom. Deborah picked up a couple of dolls, putting them on a shelf with a dozen or so more. The next room was Sebastian’s and curled up asleep in the middle of the blue duvet was a huge grey cat. 

“There you are,” Deborah sat on the edge of the bed and the cat stretched out for a pat, greeting them with a huge yawn. “This beast is Sampson who knows he’s not supposed to be upstairs, but he hides from Peaches,” the cat was not bothered at all at being scolded. “The next floor up is where Nancy lives and a spare bedroom if we ever need it.”

“Your home is beautiful Deborah,” Barbara could not help gushing “It has you and Simon all over it but where does your father live?”

“Oh, he has the basement level. We redecorated it when Sebastian was a baby to give us all more room. It used to be the servants quarters, so the rooms were tiny, so we ripped them all out and Dad has a sitting room, kitchen and bedroom. However, the privacy aspect didn’t work so well as the kids have no concept of personal space but Dad loves seeing them every day.”

“Speaking of your kids, Tommy and I wanted to ask you something,” Barbara hesitantly mentioned. 

“Oh, what?” Deborah begged to know but Barbara shook her head.

“Come on, let’s go back downstairs, we can discuss it together,” giving the cat a final pat they headed back outside to find the men being chased around the garden by two squealing children.

“Come on you two, time for your bath,” Joseph hustled Sebastian and Annabelle inside to their loud complaints, only running inside when Tommy and Barbara promised not to leave while they were gone.

“Let’s go inside, it’s getting cool out here. I have a new whisky you have to try Tommy,” Simon said picking up the tea tray as Tommy handed Barbara the car keys to their amusement. 

The reception room was a bright airy room with groups of comfortable couches and silver-framed family photos scattered around the room. Simon had left the tea tray in the kitchen, so he headed straight for the bar and poured two scotches, handing one to Tommy.

“Oh, come on, what did you want to ask us?” Deborah was sitting on the edge of the couch. 

“Well,” Tommy took Barbara’s hand in his “We have set a wedding date,” he had to stop at Deborah’s squeal of excitement “Saturday the first of May, at Howenstow and we would like for you to stand up as our witnesses on the day,” he had hardly got the words out before Deborah was across the room and hugging them both. 

“I’d be honoured Tommy,” Simon replied. He was more restrained than his wife, but his smile indicated how happy he was to stand by his friend’s side as he swore his vows.

“It will only be a small casual wedding, but we would also like Sebastian and Annabelle to be our page boy and flower girl,” Barbara asked, feeling a little nervous.

“Oh, they would love that. What colour theme are you going with?” Deborah asked to Tommy’s laugh.

“Our nieces Jacqueline and Eleanor are helping us with the planning, but we have settled on teal and cream but it is just a casual affair in the back garden of Howenstow. There will be enough room for you all to stay over, you can have the guest room in the main house.” 

“I do have another favour to ask,” Barbara spoke up looking at Deborah “Would you help me buy a wedding dress? I have no idea about fashion,” 

“Oh I would be delighted to,” Deborah’s grin was a mile wide and once Joseph brought Sebastian and Annabelle down all freshly bathed and in their pyjamas to say good night and be shuffled off to bed the adults spent the rest of the night discussing the wedding and making plans for it. 


	23. Barbara searches for the perfect wedding dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara and Deborah go shopping for the perfect wedding dress and she puts a snobby sales assistant in her place.
> 
> Thanks to my hussies for helping me choose Barbara's wedding gown, this chapter is for you guys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667519591/in/dateposted-public/)

Tommy and Barbara had managed to get most of Easter Monday off. They had taken a few phone calls from Nkata and Andrews to be brought up to speed and fill in some gaps in the timeline. Tommy was grateful for his colleagues and their protectiveness of Barbara and the babies. He had mentioned it to Winston for the younger detective to just shrug his shoulder and brush Tommy’s thanks off.

“Well look at it this way, you’ve taken on more than your fair share of the lousy jobs and extra shifts over the years so the rest of got us extra time off. Now it is our turn to repay the favour, besides you have a pregnant Barbara to deal with!” Tommy had chuckled at that assessment, but he was still very thankful for the extra day off. 

Tommy was standing in the bathroom, a towel around his hips as he shaved and talked to Barbara through the open door where she was still lounging on the bed in her pyjamas when his phone rang.

“Havers,” Barbara answered it, flopping back on the mattress. “Hi Winnie, what have you got for us?” Tommy scraped the whiskers off his face, listening to one side of the conversation going on in the other room. “He’s in the bathroom,” she paused and laughed “No, he’s shaving.” Another pause “I knew Ryan would come through for us, thanks, Winnie. We will give him enough time to get home and then we will pay a little visit to Mr Kazemi. No, it’s fine, we’ll let Hillier know about the meeting. Yes, we’ll be in the office later, bye,” Barbara hung up and swung her legs off the bed and walked over to lean against the bathroom door jam. 

“That was Winnie with Kazemi’s flight details, he lands at Heathrow in about an hour, so give him enough time to get through customs and home to Kensington. I say we visit him about eight or so? You missed a bit,” Barbara pointed to underneath her chin and grinned as Tommy ran his razor over the spot. “I told Winnie we’d go and have a little chat with Mr Kazemi.” 

“Yes, I heard. I’ll give Hillier a call and postpone our meeting. I can tell him far more after meeting our happy traveller. The bathroom is yours,” he slid past, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before walking over to the wardrobe to pull out clothes for the day. 

Barbara tried to control her thundering heart as Tommy’s casual display of affection. It was getting harder and harder not to blurt out she was hopelessly in love with him and honestly had been for years. Pulling herself back to the present Barbara shut the bathroom door and clicked open the shower door, turning on the hot water and stripping out of her pyjamas. Wiggling her toes on the bathmat, Barbara was pleased to realise she could still see them, for how much longer she was not sure. Doing some quick calculations in her head she realised that as of today she was four months pregnant. 

“Hello babies,” she said patting her belly before stepping into the shower and getting ready for the day. 

Opening the door to a soft knock Tommy grinned to find Denton standing there with a breakfast tray with two mugs of tea, a pile of toast and various pots of spreads.

“Thanks, Denton,” the younger man just smiled and left the tray on the end of the bed, closing the door behind him just as the shower shut off and a few minutes later Barbara walked out in a cloud of steam and a towel around her head as she scrubbed her hair dry and once again shrouded in Tommy’s dressing gown. 

“I just realised something, in the shower,” Barbara said as she pulled the towel off her head “I’m four months pregnant today, is the thirteenth isn’t it?” Tommy nodded as he walked over to her and slipped his hands into the front of the gown spreading them her belly.

“Four months,” he didn’t bother to hide the awe in his voice “How are you feeling?” there was the worry he was never quite able to vanquish. Barbara put her hands on top of his.

“I’m fine really, the morning sickness has finally settled, and they are not dancing on my insides yet, although that could start happening soon and yes, I will take time off if I need it,” she pre-empted Tommy’s normal request.

“I’m hovering?” Tommy asked with a slight grin and laugh to Barbara’s nod.

“Yes, but I like knowing you care. Come on, we’ll be late if we don’t get a move on,” stepping away from his touch, Barbara grabbed a piece of toast smothered with jam and headed to the wardrobe. She had to distance herself before she blurted out she loved him. It was getting harder and harder not to, particularly when he was sweet and caring like that.

Feeling Barbara’s growing belly under his hands and that little pixie smile she had shyly given him, it had taken all of Tommy’s restraint not to pull her into his arms and tell her he was madly in love with her and had been for ages if he was honest with himself. _You have to damn well tell her_ he admonished himself as he also grabbed a slice of toast and sat on the side of the bed to pull on his shoes and socks. 

“You had best ring Hillier, let him know your meeting is off,” Barbara suggested tossing clothes on the bed and heading back to the bathroom to dry off her hair as Tommy picked up his phone, scrolled through the numbers and dialled Hillier.

“Sir, it’s Lynley.” He winced at the annoyed tone of the Assistant Commissioner “Yes Sir, I realise the time. I just wanted to inform you that I won’t be able to attend our meeting this morning,” he had to pause again as Hillier interrupted, beyond annoyed now “Yes Sir I realise it is late notice however Havers and I are going to interview our second main suspect this morning and I thought an update after we had seen the man would give you more information.” Tommy had to hide his grin at the faces Barbara was making. “Yes, Sir I will see you as soon as we get to the office.” Tommy hung up and shook his head in amazement.

“Hillier being Hillier?” Barbara asked, no further explanation needed, to Tommy’s nod.

“Yes, he should get down out of his ivory tower,” Tommy complained as he knotted his tie, not even looking in the mirror “He spends too much time pacifying the politicians and has forgotten the slog to solve a murder,” that was all perfectly true but Barbara could not stop herself watching Tommy as he got ready for the day. “Are you listening to me?” Tommy asked, pulling Barbara from her daydreaming. 

“Of course,” she replied haughtily to Tommy’s laugh. He knew he’d caught her out but let it slide. “Come on, let’s go pay a visit to our traveller,” she picked up her coat and handbag and hurried downstairs, Tommy following.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

What with typical early morning London traffic, it was a little past eight when Lynley pulled up in front of Kazemi’s house and to his surprise, there was a parking spot a couple of doors down. That alone was a miracle and he hoped it was a sign that the interview would also go well.

Lynley knocked on the door and after a few minutes, it was opened by a dark-haired young girl. She was not the same woman who had been here earlier. She stared up at them with beautiful dark eyes rimmed in dark eyeliner, but she did not speak to them.

“Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Havers. We need to speak with Mr Farshid Kazemi,” Lynley introduced themselves to the young girl who just stood there and stared up at them.

“Who is it Azizah?” a cultured, lightly accented voice floated through the cavernous entryway and a few moments later Lynley and Havers got their first look at Farshid Kazemi as he walked through a door at the end of the entryway. 

He was shorter than Lynley, around five foot nine or ten, with dark hair and light grey eyes. He sported a day’s stubble, probably from the flight and was casually dressed in jeans and a dark blue jumper. 

“Mr Farshid Kazemi,” at the man’s nod, Lynley introduced himself and Havers and showed the man their police identification. “May we speak with you?”

“What about?” he demanded, walking across the entryway and into an elegantly decorated room, clearly expecting to be followed. He turned to face them, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at Lynley. He completely ignored Havers, she may as well have not even been there.

“You drive a yellow Ferrari, is that correct?” she asked and Lynley watched as those cold grey eyes flicked her way and back to him. 

“Yes,” he snapped “What is this about? I have only returned to the country a couple of hours ago. Has the car been stolen? It was locked securely in the garage when I left? If someone has taken my car I want them thrown in jail, it is a very expensive vehicle.”

“No one has stolen your car, Mr Kazemi. We are investigating the murder of a young boy up in Soho.” Lynley explained.

“What does that have to do with me?” he demanded, anger colouring his tone. “Some boy is murdered in Soho so harass the foreigners in their own homes. Is that how the police work?” he demanded belligerently.

“We are looking into all yellow Ferrari’s in London,” Havers tried to calm the irate man.

“I was not speaking to you,” he snapped glaring at Havers “Learn your place,” Lynley had heard enough from this spoilt entitled brat and stepped forward, just managing to hide his smirk when Kazemi retreated a step.

“Sergeant Havers place is with me, in this interview. Now we can do this one of two ways. Either you answer our questions here or I will have no hesitation in dragging you down to the station in the back of a panda car, where we can have a far longer and I promise you, far more uncomfortable conversation. Are we clear?” the steal in Lynley’s voice was unmistakable and it was clear Kazemi had never been spoken to like that in his life. 

Havers half hoped that Kazemi would continue with his belligerent attitude, she would have loved nothing more than for Lynley to drag him back to the Met for an interrogation. He stared at Lynley for a few seconds, clearly weighing up his options and reluctantly nodded. 

“What do you want to know?” Farshid asked, indicating a seat across from him, both Lynley and Havers sat and Havers dug out her notebook and a photo of Lynx.

“Do you know this boy?” she asked handing it across. Farshid glanced at the extended photo, up at Havers and then to Lynley. Clearly, he had taken on board Lynley’s warning, so he reluctantly took it and glanced down. Lafferty had done a remarkable job of making Lynx presentable but there was no mistaking the fact the boy had died a violent death. 

Lynley had spent years studying people and he was sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that Farshid knew Lynx. His sharp intake of breath was minuscule and nearly silent but Lynley caught it, as well as the look of both recognition and shock on the man’s face. He studied the photo for a few minutes longer before leaning forward and putting it on the coffee table in front of him.

“No, I do not know him.” Farshid lied “Why do you come here?” he demanded. “Why speak to me?” 

“Lynx was seen getting out of a convertible yellow Ferrari,” Havers explained “It is the last known sighting of him alive. He was dropped off at his rooms in Soho by someone driving that car, which lead us to you.” Farshid gave Havers a withering look but he held his tongue.

“There must be hundreds of yellow Ferrari’s in London,” Farshid complained.

“There are only twenty-five registered in London and seventeen of those are driven by men, so not as many as you would think,” Havers supplied, not bothering to keep her slight amusement out of her tone, smiling in return to Farshid's glare.

“So, where were you around the weekend of the twentieth and twentieth-first of March?” Lynley questioned firmly, unflinchingly holding Kazemi’s gaze. 

“I would have to check these dates. I do not remember such things if they are of no importance,” Kazemi shrugged his shoulders, trying to come across as unconcerned but the constant tapping of his foot gave away his nervousness. 

“We are happy to wait while you check,” Havers cheerfully advised the man to his scowl.

“I would need to check with my father if I was working at that time. He is, unfortunately, still out of the country. He runs the family business,” it was the first piece of information Kazemi had offered voluntarily “He returns tomorrow.”

“What was the nature of your trip?” Lynley asked curiously.

“I returned to my father’s village to get married,” Kazemi advised them “My entire family was in attendance as is our custom. I only returned today with my wife,” 

“How long have you known her?” Lynley questioned.

“I met her about a month before the wedding, I am not here to defend the customs of my country. If you need anything further you can contact my solicitor. This discussion is over,” Kazemi got to his feet, clearly ending their meeting. Lynley was content to let him. They now had further directions to follow and Lynley had no doubt they would be back, and soon.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Besides working together on the murder case, Tommy and Barbara were trying to fine-tune their wedding. Things were coming together surprisingly quickly, and both knew they could not have done it without Jacqueline and Eleanor’s help. Every night they logged onto their private email; Jacqueline had made them a specific wedding email. “So, you don’t miss anything” she’d told him as if it was logical. 

So far they had organised the catering and wedding cake. Settled on the colour theme of teal and cream. Printed and sent the invitations, booked Michael’s brother for the music and spoken to their celebrant over the phone. They had to send their music list back to Christopher and meet Samantha in person. She needed them to sign legal papers for the marriage to be registered.

“I wish you would start to take it easy,” Tommy asked, knowing full well he was probably heading straight into an argument. They were relaxing on the couch in the media room. He had his feet propped up on a footstool, sipping a whisky. Barbara was sprawled on the cushions, her head in his lap as he played with her hair. She looked exhausted and he wanted her to slow down.

“Your hovering,” she sleepily scolded but didn’t open her eyes however a small smile danced across her face.

“Yes, I am and I’m not apologising for it.” Tommy replied “You look done in and it’s only eight o’clock. You have nothing to prove at work,” 

“I know, it’s just,” Barbara looked up at him “I feel like I’m letting you down,” she admitted quietly. 

“Barbara, you’re carrying our twins, babies neither of us ever thought we would have, you could never let me down. Compared to that work is not important. Winston is more than ready to step into your role so you can start winding down.” Tommy explained. 

“I hate it when you get all logical on me,” she lightly complained to his chuckle.

“Will you consider taking some time off?” Tommy questioned “You still have to find a dress, I can’t help you with that, Jacqueline would happily murder me if I did,” they both chuckled at the thought. “You mentioned getting the girls something for all their help too. Maybe take Deborah shopping with you?” 

“Didn’t we do enough damage last time?” Barbara asked laughing “That shopping trip cost more than my first car but yes I would like to get the girls something and I have to find your wedding ring too,” Barbara sat up and swung her legs off the couch, disappearing into the kitchen and grabbing the wedding folder to add to the list they yet had to complete. “Our list is getting shorter,” she handed it to Tommy to his nod.

“I need to get onto Rochester and order the alcohol and get it shipped to Howenstow and get Simon his fancy whisky. Honestly, I’m surprised how quickly this has all come together.” He tugged Barbara back against him, tucking her against his side. 

“Well not having to budget for it has helped,” Barbara pointed out to Tommy’s chuckle. 

“That is true,” he agreed, tucking Barbara back against his side. “Why don’t you take Thursday and Friday off? Ring Deborah and go shopping, we don’t have that much time to get you suitably attired.”

“Attired?” she burst out laughing “Listen to you Mr Posh Eton Education. What will you be suitably attired in?” Barbara asked, getting comfortable again.

“I was thinking of wearing my mourning suit but will get a new shirt, tie and lapel pin to match our colours. You saw it at Deborah and Simon’s wedding, although I should check it still fits that was ten years ago.” 

“I will have to make sure I find something suitably impressive then,” Barbara replied, “Although your posh togs are what got us into this mess in the first place,” she stroked her stomach, her grey top accentuating her growing bump.

“I’m not taking all the blame here thank you very much,” Tommy jokingly complained “You were irresistible in that sexy red dress so you’re at least half to blame,”

“Irresistible?” Barbara chuckled “I’ve never been called that before.” 

“Then all the previous men in your life are blind but I for one am very glad of that fact. Someone else may have stolen you away from me,” Tommy leaned down and whispered in Barbara’s ear, “Come on, let’s go to bed,”

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Lynley came back from his weekly meeting with Hillier and he had a smile on his face. Admittedly it was not a huge smile, but he was not in his normal bad mood after a grilling from the higher-ups.

“Havers, Nkata, my office thanks,” Lynley asked as he strode past their desks, un-knotting his tie as he walked. Glancing at each other they got up to follow behind.

“He’s in a good mood,” Nkata voiced what the rest of his colleagues were thinking. 

“Well let’s not keep him waiting,” Havers replied and hurried after Lynley and knocked on his door and entered at his bidding.

“Shut the door,” Lynley told Nkata as he walked in, closing it behind him and taking a seat beside Havers on the other side of Lynley’s desk.

“First off, Havers you have tomorrow and Friday off with Hillier’s approval,” he held up his hand to forestall her argument to her glare. Lynley had no doubt he would pay for that later, but it was done “I want as much information as we can get out hands on for entire Kazemi family. There is something there that is bothering me. Dig into the new wife, his family, everyone. I want car registrations, mortgages, everything. Something about that whole family is fishy and I damn well want to know what.”

They spent the hour going through details, working what information they needed to gather and other boring details. Nkata grabbed his notebook and hurried from the room, eager to start gathering the information Lynley wanted. Havers told her colleague she’d join him shortly and to please shut the door. Lynley knew he was in trouble now.

“Do you want to tell me what the hell that was all about?” Havers demanded, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Lynley.

“Hillier asked how you were coping with work and your pregnancy. I just said you were thinking of taking some time off and he said he’d approve it.”

“Hillier said that?” the disbelief in Havers’ voice was clear and not unexpected. 

“Yes, I was stunned too but you were thinking of taking some time off, so I agreed. I am not sure what is going on with him, but he was in a reasonably good mood, well for Hillier anyway,” now it was Lynley’s turn to sound disbelieving.

“I’ll take the days off on one condition,” Havers told him, not leaving any room for negotiations “I want to be there when you interview Kazemi’s father,” Lynley’s grin was enough of a promise that he would make sure she was there. 

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

By Wednesday night Barbara was done in. Even though she was cutting back on the physical work, desk duty was tiring in its way, so she was very grateful when Denton made pizzas for them and Tommy ran her a bubble bath. He was downstairs dealing with the alcohol for the wedding and Barbara was on the phone to Deborah.

“Are you in the bathroom?” her friend’s amused voice drifted over the phone line.

“Yes, I’m stuffed on pizza and having a bubble bath,” Barbara admitted, “I wanted to ask you a favour.” She could hear Deborah speaking with someone in the background.

“Sorry, I just abandoned Simon to bath duties, what can I do for you?” it sounded as if Deborah was walking upstairs.

“I was wondering if you are busy tomorrow or Friday? I need to buy a wedding dress and well...I need some help, also isn’t that a matron of honour duty?” Barbara questioned to Deborah’s laugh.

“Of course, I’ll help you. Do you have any idea what you want? Tommy was saying at Easter that his niece left you with a pile of magazines.”

“Honestly, not a clue but something that will cover a bump, there is no way I can hide it now and we still have a few weeks before the wedding,” Barbara told her friend, running her other hand over her growing belly. She had another scan due in a couple of weeks and her doctor had said they may be able to tell the sex of the babies.

“Well you enjoy your bath, have a look through your mound of magazines and I’ll pick you up about ten tomorrow morning and we can go hunting for the perfect wedding dress for you.” They chatted for a few more minutes before Barbara hung up and carefully reached out and dropped the phone on the small table near the bath.

Carefully standing and stepping out of the bath onto the fluffy mat, Barbara dried off and spent some time rubbing lotion into her belly and into the faded bullet wound from where she had been shot by Grace Finnegan. Running her fingertips over the scar she remembered when she had received the wound. It had been the same case that Helen Lynley had been shot at, run off the road and lost Tommy’s baby. 

He had been torn between finishing the case, visiting her in hospital and sitting for hours and hours talking to her and grieving the son he had just lost. Even after the surgery and her recovery, Barbara had always known when Tommy was in the room, holding her and talking to her. The nurses had told her after she had woken from the surgery that her vitals had always stabilised when he was there with her.

Pulling herself back from those painful few months, Barbara capped the lotion and slid into Tommy’s dressing gown. He had simply given up and let her have it. Opening the bathroom door Barbara grabbed a stack of magazines and got comfortable on the bed, spreading them around her and checking Jacqueline’s colour coding, green tabs were wedding clothes. 

Barbara could not help chuckling at some of the dresses on display. A few reminded her of the doll that used sit on the back of the toilet with a roll of toilet paper under its dress. Far too puffy for her tastes. Others Barbara doubted she had ever been thin enough to wear them and others hardly had a couple of yards of fabric in the entire dress.

“What are you chuckling about?” Tommy asked from there doorway where he stood with two mugs of hot chocolate. Walking over to the bed he handed Barbara one and sat on the bench at the end of the bed as it was covered in magazines.

“There are some seriously ugly wedding dresses out there,” she replied laughing as she turned one magazine around so Tommy to see the dresses she was referring to.

“That’s an... interesting choice,” Tommy hedged sipping his hot chocolate.

“Not the word I would use and besides I don’t have the boobs to keep it up. Deborah is coming shopping with me tomorrow to try to pick a dress, but she asked me what I had in mind and well, frankly nothing.” Barbara sipped her drink, glaring at the magazines. 

“Why don’t we start with what you don’t want?” Tommy suggested grabbing Barbara’s notebook and pen “I would guess that strapless is on that list?” 

“Yes, and add short and tight as well,” Barbara pointed out another dress, which may have worked on the very young and very thin woman wearing it but would never work on a four-month pregnant older bride. “Honesty with a train that long I would be tripping over it all night,” Tommy added that to the list. 

“It needs to be bump friendly too,” Barbara patted her belly as Tommy picked up a magazine and flipped through it. It was full of everything that anyone could need for a wedding, and a lot of things no one needed.

“Personalised chocolates?” he questioned a little startled at the thought and they were damn expensive chocolates “I don’t think we need them.”

“No, Jacqueline has suggested little glass vases with a single bud in each for the tables,” Barbara picked up another magazine and flipped to a page, handing the magazine over to Tommy. “I never could have pulled this off without their help.”

“This is nice,” Tommy handed over the magazine. The dress was lovely with a lace bodice and long sleeves. A shimmery satin skirt fell to the floor with a small train.

“I’m not sure bump will fit under that waistline though, but it is nice,” Barbara handed the magazine back flicking through her own and making comments about some of the dresses, not always favourable.

Looking up a few minutes later Tommy grinned at the sight before him. Barbara had nodded off to sleep atop the magazines. Clearing them off the bed and slipping the one she had been reading out of Barbara’s hand Tommy managed to get the dressing gown off her. She made a few incoherent mumbles but did not wake up as Tommy carefully tucked her into bed and climbed in himself, watching Barbara sleep until he nodded off as well. 

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Just after ten the next morning the front door chimes echoed through the house as Barbara descended the stairs. Hurrying through the entryway she pulled open the door with a smile as she was pulled into a warm hug.

“How are you feeling? You look fantastic,” Deborah said holding Barbara at arm’s length and studying her.

“I don’t feel it, I fell asleep before ten last night, but I have found dress styles I like as requested,” the ladies headed upstairs to Barbara’s bedroom to grab the magazines she wanted to take with them and her handbag. “Just don’t tell Jacqueline that Tommy helped,” she asked to Deborah’s chuckle.

“Your secret is safe with me, I have a few shops we should have a look through and I’ve told Simon I’m buying a dress for the wedding today, he can match his suit to what I buy. Mind you the man has enough suits to open a formal suit shop,” Barbara nodded.

“Tommy is the same, one half of his wardrobe is just suits.” Barbara pointed to the built-in wardrobes that lead to the bathroom.

“Come on, let’s go and buy you a gorgeous wedding dress to knock him right out of that posh suit,” Deborah’s cheeky wink and Barbara laughing as she grabbed her bag and followed her friend downstairs.

The first two shops didn’t have anything suitable to Deborah’s teasing. The ladies had been helpful, but everything was for a bride who was a lot taller and skinnier than Barbra and nothing would accommodate her growing bump. 

The third store was beautiful with far more gowns so surely they would be able to find something here. One of the three sales ladies walked towards them with a smile.

“Ladies, welcome. I am Jacinta, I am here to assist you today,” she cast a critical eye over them both and Barbara bristled as she was instantly dismissed, and Jacinta turned her full attention to the tall, beautiful redhead at her side. 

“We are looking for a wedding gown,” Jacinta ushered them towards the back of the store to where there were a comfortable couch and rack upon rack of gowns. 

“With your stunning colouring may I suggest an ivory gown,” Jacinta started already pulling out a dress.

“Actually,” Deborah stopped her “The dress is not for me, it’s for my friend here,” Barbara was certain the temperature in the shop dropped by ten degrees as Jacinta slowly and critically studied Barbara. 

“I see,” the ice dripping off Jacinta’s voice was palpable. “I am not sure we will have anything to suit. We do not stock...” she paused looking for the correct word.

“Maternity gowns?” Deborah supplied, her tone hardening in barely restrained anger. 

“Yes. You could try one of the less specialised stores, they may stock them. Our clientele has never needed a maternity wedding dress.” The disdain in Jacinta’s voice was enough to alight Deborah’s famous redhead temper.

“Really?” Deborah overly sweetly questioned, “I was under the impression your shop specialised in dressing the aristocracy for their wedding days?”

“Of course, we do, we are the most elite wedding gown store in London,” Jacinta snapped back, her upper-crust accent disappearing in an instant.

“Well you will not be dressing the future Countess Asherton,” with that Barbara turned on her heel and strode out of the shop leaving Jacinta behind them, gaping like a fish out of water. 

They had barely turned the corner before both women were in tears of laughter. Barbara had to sit on a small brick fence to get her breath back.

“Oh, did you see the look on her face,” Deborah managed to wheeze out. “That was priceless,”

“My own pretty woman moment,” Barbara replied her chuckles winding down. 

“Come on, let's grab some lunch and plot our next plan of attack,” Deborah linked her arm with Barbara, and they walked across the street to a little French cafe and grabbed a table inside. The young waitress brought them menus and water and left them alone.

Once they had ordered Barbara pulled the magazines from her bag and they flicked to the tagged pages as the ladies went over some of the flagged designs that she liked. 

“Tommy likes that one,” Barbara handed over a magazine and tapped a page.

“Pretty but not very bump-friendly, what about this?” Deborah spun a magazine around so Barbara could see it. The dress was loose and flowing with an embroidered band that went from under the bust to over the shoulders.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” the young girl blurted out as she brought their lunch “I’m sorry,” she apologised blushing to their light laugh.

“Don’t apologise, we’re gown shopping and can’t find anything I like,” Barbara explained, moving the magazines so the girl could put the plates down.

“My sister has a wedding shop, she opened it last year,” she whispered, nervously looking around and checking no one could overhear her. “It’s only a few blocks from here.” Giving them a small smile, she disappeared back to the kitchen but under the pretence of bringing them more water, she slid a small business card onto the table and hurried off again. 

Picking up the card Barbara turned it over and read “Cleopatra's Bridal” and an address not too far from where they were. Deborah picked up a magazine and checked the index and they were listed so she turned to the pages indicated and showed Barbara the double-page add. It was black and white and the dress overly elaborate but the photo in the bottom corner showed a smiling young woman.

“Let’s give them a try, it cannot hurt,” Deborah suggested stabbing a piece of chicken in her salad to Barbara’s agreement. 

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

It was easy enough to find the shop and surprisingly they found a car park not too far away. The store was in sharp contrast to the slick elegant shops they had been to earlier. It was far smaller, but the windows were dressed cheerfully in three beautiful gowns on mannequins as well as “Everything for the discerning bride”.

Pushing open the door, a small bell tingled signalling their arrival and a voice floated out from the rear of the shop that they would be with them in a moment. While they were waiting Barbara and Deborah started to look through the gowns. 

There were not as many as the earlier shops, but they were beautiful and looked far more unique than what they had seen before. 

“Hello ladies, how may I help you?” a young girl asked as she walked towards them, a welcoming smile on her face. “I’m Yvette,” she shook both of their hands.

“We’re looking for a wedding dress,” Barbara told her “A bump-friendly one,” she ran her hand over her belly.

“Oh, how lovely, when are you due?” she indicated a royal purple lounge towards the back of the room and asked them to sit.

“Middle of September, I’m having twins and the wedding is on the first of May so we’re running out of time,” Barbara told her with a laugh.

“Do you have anything in mind? Style? Colour?” Yvette asked as she pulled out a notebook and started taking notes of Barbara’s preferences. 

“We found a few we like,” Deborah dug out the magazines and showed Yvette the pages and she continued to take notes. 

“I have one very similar to the Grecian gown,” Yvette pointed out the one they had decided on earlier “The bust on mine is slightly different though and it has gold embroidery. We could try that style, but it may not work with your bump.”

Yvette walked over to the gowns and swiftly selected a few styles, pulling some out and immediately putting them back until she had a selection of five or six gowns. Hanging them on a rolling clothes rack she pulled it closer and pulled the first dress off the rack. 

“I’m not sure this one will work with your figure but we can always shorten the bust and bring the waist up?” she held it up and while it was a lovely dress with a lace and satin bust with a full satin skirt, she was right it would not work with Barbara’s belly.

Yvette pulled out a gorgeous gown with layers of satin softly gathered from a high waistline. The bodice was cut to cover the breasts and a sheer overlay which gave the gown short sleeves which were covered in shimmery crystals. 

“Go on, go try it on,” Deborah ordered with a laugh to Barbara’s eye roll and Yvette’s smile as she carried the gown over to the change rooms and hung it on a hook.

“If you need assistance just call out,” Yvette closed the door behind Barbara and selected a few more gowns.

Even though the dress had multiple layers in the skirt, it was easy enough to get on, but Barbara could not quite reach the zip. It seemed to fit well and skimmed her belly. Stepping out of the change room she caught sight of Yvette and called her over.

“Could you zip me up, I can’t reach,” stepped behind her Yvette quickly pulled up the zip easily and lead Barbara over to a raised dais in the floor and helped her up onto it. Fussing with the fall of the dress, Yvette finally stepped aside and let Deborah see the dress on.

“That’s lovely,” Deborah exclaimed walking over to Barbara and studying her. “I like how it floats over your belly and the sleeves. Next one.” She said laughing “You’re not buying the first one you try on, go on!” grumbling about pushy matrons of honour Barbara hiked up the dress and went back to the change room, asking Yvette to unzip her on the way. 

“This is similar to the one you showed me earlier,” Yvette hung up a second dress and whisked the first one away. This dress was a far lighter, sheer fabric but the various layers in the skirt stopped it being see-through. Finally figuring out how to get into it, Barbara was glad it zipped on the side. 

“I like this one better,” she said, stepping out of the change too to both women’s agreement “It’s floatier,” Yvette straightened one of the shoulder straps, so it sat flat and straightened some of the layers in the skirt. 

“Oh yes, that’s beautiful,” Deborah rubbed the beautiful sheer fabric between her fingers “It’s so soft and hides your belly better and it’s not as long,” Deborah knew how worried Barbara was of tripping on the day.

“We can shorten any of the dresses, it will only take me a couple of days,” Yvette replied, “All alterations are done on-site,” Barbara and Deborah rejected her next two suggestions. “This is similar, but it has sleeves, I can remove or shorten them if you prefer.” 

Slipping into it Barbara instantly fell in love with it. It was far simpler than the other gowns, but the cut was beautiful. It showed off her belly but didn’t make it too obvious. The length was perfect, and the lace sleeves would ward off any night-time chill.

“I think I’ve found it,” Barbara called out as she tugged down the underskirt and smoothed the lace over the top. 

“Well come on,” Deborah’s demanded impatiently “Let’s see,” un-clicking the door, Barbara walked out to Deborah’s gasp.

“It’s perfect, Tommy will love it,” Barbara had to agree. While the others were lovely this just felt right, and it was more elegant and would match with Tommy’s mourning suit.

Unable to wipe the grin off her face Barbara told Yvette they would take it, but now they needed a matron of honour dress for Deborah. Quickly changing out of the beautiful gown, they went through the rack of dresses in shades of blue until they found a deep royal blue gown with a band of shimmering crystals under the bust which then extended to the shoulder straps.

Giggling like school girls they paid for their purchases and headed home.


	24. Barbara asks Charlie Denton to teach her to waltz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara asks Charlie Denton to teach her to waltz and if he would walk her down the aisle at the wedding to his delight, and they spend some time with their celebrant.  
> They finally get an unexpected breakthrough in Lynx's murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667599667/in/dateposted-public/)

Barbara had left her wedding dress at Deborah’s house to prevent Tommy accidentally finding it, although she had not been able to help herself showing Simon who had drawn her into a hug, kissing her temple and telling her Tommy was a lucky man. She had to blink back tears at Tommy’s friend’s easy acceptance of their upcoming marriage. 

Barbara had returned home around four that afternoon and sat in the kitchen talking to Charlie Denton as he prepared roast beef for dinner. 

“Charlie, can I ask you a favour?” Barbara questioned as he slid the dish into the oven. 

“Course you may, what do you need?” Charlie asked, wiping his hands on a tea towel and took a seat across from Barbara. Watching Barbara twist her engagement ring around and around her finger, Charlie leaned over and put his hand over hers. “What is it, Ms Barbara,”

“I was talking to Deborah yesterday, about the wedding,” Charlie nodded but did not interrupt “I don’t know how to waltz, I never had to learn,” Barbara looked up at Charlie “Could you teach me?” 

“It would be my pleasure and it is not that difficult, how about we start tomorrow when Master Tommy is at work,” he gave her a cheeky wink to Barbara’s grateful smile.

“Thanks, Charlie. I did have one more thing to ask of you.” Barbara reached out and took his hands in hers “Would you walk me down the aisle at the wedding,” the look of both shock and delight on his face proved that Barbara had made the right decision in asking him.

“I would be honoured Barbara,” the young man said emotionally “We will start your dancing lessons tomorrow and have you spinning around the dance floor like Ginger Rogers when we are done,” 

“I would not go that far Charlie, just so I do not make a huge fool of myself on the day is enough. I’m positive that Tommy dances beautifully?” 

“Oh yes, you should ask Lady Asherton to find his formal photos from Eton,” he said cheekily to Barbara’s grin and promise she would do that. 

Tommy was home a little after five as they had a meeting tonight with their celebrant to sign various legal papers for their marriage to be registered. They had spoken on the phone a few times to finalise the booking and Tommy had offered her a room at Howenstow overnight if she needed it. However, Samantha had friends who lived not too far away so she was staying with them for the weekend.

“That smells amazing Denton,” Tommy said as walked through the kitchen door, dragging his tie off and dropping a kiss on Barbara’s head. She could not prevent her small smile, she wondered if he even realised that he did that every time he came home now. Not that she minded at all, it was just so... husbandly. 

“Roast beef, it has a while to go yet. Do you want a drink?” he asked opening the refrigerator pulling out a bottle to Tommy’s nod. 

“Bad day?” Barbara was desperate for news. Tommy shrugged one shoulder as he took a swig of his beer.

“No, not really, just frustrating with background checks and digging up information. That whole Kazemi family stinks like three-day-old fish. They put on a facade that they are respectable businessmen, but I have my doubts. Nothing concrete yet but something is off with them.” Tommy had done this job long enough to trust his gut, unfortunately, that would not hold up in court, so they needed actual hard proof. “I’m heading for a shower before Samantha gets here,” he dropped the bottle in the bin and headed upstairs.

They had spent a couple of hours with their celebrant, Samantha Hendricks in Tommy’s study going over all the paperwork for their marriage. She was a delightful mix of professional and fun, cooing over Barbara’s pregnancy and as excited over the details of the wedding as Deborah. 

“Oh, I love your colour scheme, it will be so beautiful and what a stunning location,” Samantha confirmed she had the address correct and assured them she had a friend to stay with overnight. 

“Now if you could just sign here, and here,” Samantha indicated two spaces on the form and handed Barbara a pen. Her copper instincts took over and she automatically started to read it, stopping at the bottom and looking over at Tommy, a devilish smirk crossing her features.

“What?” Tommy asked, knowing by now that mischief was dancing through Barbara’s head, and by that look, it was directed at him. It was not long coming

“That’s some moniker,” she said reading the form which, by law, had to contain their full legal names “Thomas Alexander Bartholomew Lynley. Sure, you don’t need Lord Lynley, Eight Earl of Asherton on there as well?” her smile had grown into a huge grin.

“No, we don’t need the whole damn title,” Tommy replied glaring at Barbara to her cheeky laugh. Samantha just sat back and watched them interact with each other. It was abundantly clear to her how much these two loved each other. 

“I am very glad of that, I’m sure I’d forget half of it at the ceremony,” Barbara could not contain her laughter any longer to Tommy’s eye roll and Samantha’s smile. 

“I can always use the full title if you like Barbara?” Samantha's offered, laughing at Tommy’s indignant huff.

“No, she does not like,” Tommy cut her off, good-naturedly glaring at his fiancée and sliding the form toward himself and reading over it, signing at the bottom.

“Spoilsport,” Barbara lightly chided him but also signed. After a few more legalities were finalised, and Tommy filled in his credit card details on Samantha’s invoice before they escorted her downstairs.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Tommy had gone to speak to Denton about something and Barbara went upstairs to their room. She needed some space from him right now. Barbara changed into her nightgown, Deborah had insisted on it, screwing up her nose when Barbara admitted she mostly slept in a far too big t-shirt and wandered into the bathroom to clean her teeth. Turning off the tap Barbara’s mind started to wander, and she braced her hands on the vanity, staring in the mirror, but not seeing herself, her thoughts years in the past.

Tommy had always been affectionate, from nearly their first case together. Not just physically but in words and deeds, as her mother used to say. As their partnership developed he would often pull her in for a one-armed hug when he was pleased with how a case was going, or if they had spent a little too long in their favourite bar. 

Even though being held at gunpoint by Pat Garratt had sent Barbara back down the PTSD rabbit hole from her earlier shooting. Tommy had barged into the pub to her rescue, leading her out into the daylight where she had finally broken down. He had pulled her into his arms and let her cry, drenching the front of his blue shirt. Tommy’s strong arms grounding her and his unique smell invading her senses. It had felt like she had come home.

To this day, that particular aftershave brought that memory back in glorious technicolour. Not being held at gunpoint, but Tommy pulling her into his arms and letting her break down and him pressing a kiss to her hair. She had no doubt that was when she had admitted to herself her feelings for him, sobbing into his chest.

Barbara didn’t hear Tommy call out to her as he strode into the bedroom. Looking around he spied her in the bathroom, her hands braced on the vanity as her head hung between her shoulders. He stood for a few moments watching her. Barbara’s strawberry blonde hair shone under the lights; the nightdress was sheer enough Tommy could see her growing belly. The thought that she was carrying his children brought out something rather primal in Tommy. He toed off his shoes and silently walked into the bathroom. 

Barbara was dragged out of her wool-gathering, and she turned as Tommy stepped over the threshold. The way he was devouring her with his eyes made Barbara hesitate, her breath catching in her throat. 

“Do not move,” he ordered gruffly, and Barbara’s insides squirmed at his tone, and it was not the babies. She left her hands on the vanity but glared at him defiantly to his grin. The bastard knew exactly what that smirk did to her, it drenched her underwear.

“Why not?” she demanded looking him in the mirror as Tommy stood behind her, watching her watch him. Two can play that game she thought, her inner vixen whispering in her ear. 

“Because I said so,” he growled, pressing himself along her back and placing his hands over hers so Barbara was effectively trapped between Tommy and the vanity. Barbara held Tommy’s gaze in the mirror for a few seconds before very subtly nodding, indicating she would leave her hands where they were.

Removing his own hands, Tommy slowly and deliberately started to undo the buttons down the front of Barbara’s nightgown. Slipping one hand inside he rolled her nipple between his fingers to her gasp.

“Tender?” he asked to her nod “Sore?” Barbara shook her head, to Tommy’s relief. He would not do anything to hurt her but right now he needed her like never before. Tommy was certain Barbara was a drug he would never get enough of. The nightgown was getting in his way, so Tommy grabbed the hem of it and tugged it over Barbara’s head, moving her hands off the vanity to untangle her from the garment and toss it behind him. “You are so beautiful,” Tommy said, the reverence in his voice echoed around the bathroom to her faint blush.

“I don’t feel it,” Barbara replied watching Tommy in the mirror. He gave her that knicker drenching smirk and slowly rubbed his palms over her nipples in slow circles, hardening them instantly to her gasp.

“You feel fine to me,” he whispered in Barbara’s ear, his voice lust rough and gravelly “More than fine,” he cupped her breasts, cradling their weight and toying with the hard nubs. “Do not move,” he ordered to her nod.

Running his hands over her sides, he slid them down over her growing belly, smoothing them over the tightness, feeling her stomach flutter under his touch and her sharp intake of breath. Trailing kisses down her spine, Tommy felt Barbara’s tremors as he effortlessly stoked her to arousal. He had been gentle with their lovemaking so far, not wanting to cause her any discomfort, but tonight he needed more. He wanted to watch her come apart in his arms, hear her cries echo around the bathroom and feel her release as he fucked her. It brought back memories of their first time together and the more than obvious result of that night of passion.

“I need you, here, now!” he demanded, watching the lust flare in those stunning green eyes. Her nod of acceptance was not long coming to his rakish grin. Sliding his hands over her belly Tommy boldly slid them lower and brushed the curls at the apex of her thighs to her much louder gasp. Gently Tommy nudged her legs further apart to give him better access as he teased her, trailing kisses along her back and nipped her buttock, leaving a red mark to her muttered oath.

Sliding his fingers into her wetness Tommy flicked his thumb over her overly sensitive bundle of nerves to Barbara’s gasp and twitch of her hips, seeking more friction from his exploring fingers. 

“Oh hell!” Barbara gasped as Tommy continued to tease her. She had no idea what had brought this on, but she was not complaining at all. He was fast becoming highly addictive and it was an addiction she was not looking to cure. “Tommy please,” she begged “I need you,”

“What do you want?” he demanded, pinching her nipple as he teased her clitoris with his other hand, smirking at her loud moan and gasp. 

“You,” she moaned, “Now!” the sound echoing around the bathroom and hardening his cock further. Tommy had not removed his trousers though they were uncomfortably tight as he simply could not trust himself where Barbara was concerned.

Knowing she was more than ready for him, he stood back, quickly undid his belt and trousers, letting them drop to the floor as he tugged his briefs down far enough for his engorged cock to spring free with a sigh of relief. If he had been wearing jeans and not his suit Tommy was sure he would have done himself permanent damage.

Holding Barbara’s gaze in the mirror, Tommy lined himself up and slide into her welcoming warmth to both of their groans of pleasure. She was tight and slippery, her breasts jiggling to his thrusts, but she kept her hands on the vanity as directed and that turned Tommy on even more.

He had never seen anything as sexy as watching the expressions flit over Barbara’s face as he fucked her in the bathroom, the slap of sweaty skin and her gasps echoing around the room. A light blush coloured her neck and chest, her knuckles white as she clutched the vanity, but her hips thrust back towards him, seeking deeper contact.

Tommy gripped her hard, slamming into her, watching her in the mirror until she came apart, dissolving around him, panting as if she had run a mile.

“Your turn,” she demanded, her voice rougher than normal as Tommy slammed into her, chasing his climax, it was not long in coming as he slid into Barbara one last time and groaned as he lost control of his body, filling her channel and gasping at the exertion. 

“Bloody hell,” Barbara managed “I’ve no idea what brought that on, but I am not complaining,” Tommy slipped free and grabbed a flannel, washing Barbara to her slight gasp. “Tender,” she said to his slightly worried look. “I’m fine,”

“Are you sure?” Tommy asked freeing himself from his trousers and briefs and scooping to pick them up.

“Very sure but now I’m about to be very cliched and go to sleep,” she laughed, the tinkling sound bouncing off the walls as she walked back to the bed, slipping on her nightgown. Tommy was far too focused on the beautiful woman he’d just fucked in the bathroom. He never would have ever considered such a thing before, Barbara was rubbing off on him, to his delight.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

After fact-checking Kazemi’s statements, they now had even bigger holes in his timeline than before, so they had returned to speak with him again.

Kazemi’s young wife answered the door and awkwardly nodding, she left them standing in the huge front entryway and disappeared into a back room, her feet silent on the tiles. 

The house was in one of the posher suburbs of London however, it didn’t have the same warmth and elegance of Lynley’s home. It cold and clinical, no personal items scattered about or paintings on the wall, it was all stark white. The only colour in the place the black bannister disappearing into the upper floors.

“My daughter-in-law tells me you are the police?” an older man walked towards them. Lynley guessed he was Farshid’s father as they had the same eyes and nose, although Farshid was taller than his father and his hair had not turned to grey yet.

“You are?” Lynley asked after he had introduced himself and Havers. 

“Mobasseri Kazemi, Farshid is my son. What do you want with him?” the older man indicated they proceed him into the same room they had spoken to Farshid earlier. 

“We are investigating a murder,” Havers volunteered the information for Mobasseri to give her a withering look. “We were hoping to speak with your son,”

“Detective Inspector Lynley, why are you looking for him?” Mobasseri again asked, indicating Lynley should sit. He did not miss the older man’s scowl when Havers also sat.

“As my Sergeant just told you, Sir, we are investigating a murder,” Lynley replied studying the man in front of him as he cast a disapproving glance over Havers and instantly wiped her from his conscious. 

“The woman should learn her place; I will not discuss this matter with her. She should be home where she belongs, having her husband’s sons. She brings disgrace to her family.” Mobasseri calmly said to Havers fury.

“Why you...” she started, beyond angry by this piece of rubbish dismissing her in such a manner. 

“Silence woman! Let the men speak,” he dismissed her and turned to Lynley who was seething at the man’s rudeness.

“I should warn you, Mr Kazemi, our interrogation rooms are very uncomfortable, and I would be more than happy to drag you down there to talk to a roomful of women?” Lynley threatened.

“A woman’s place is in the home providing her husband with many sons. I will not discuss this matter with such who knows nothing.” The older man got to his feet “You will leave now we have nothing to say. Azizah see them out,”

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Lynley’s fury had not abated in the two days since Mobasseri had rudely dismissed Barbara and they had left. They had spent the time chasing up every lead and re-interviewing everyone and had not turned up a thing. His temper was close to the surface, so he was less than impressed when Dorothea had buzzed to let him know they had a visitor who had to be signed in. She still had not forgiven him for announcing Barbara’s pregnancy to their colleagues before Hillier could so her message had been brief and to the point.

“We have a visitor downstairs, come on,” he grabbed Havers on the way past her desk to her confusion as she snatched up her notebook and pen, hurrying after him towards the lifts.

“Who is it?” she demanded, to his shrug.

“No idea. Dorothea was not in the mood to share important information,” he pressed the button for the lift. “She’s still mad at me for sharing our news,” he chuckled and hit the ground floor button. Stepping out into the glass lobby Tommy walked over to the two women behind the front desk and told them about Dorothea’s phone call. The blonde pointed to a woman with a young boy by her side sitting on one of the black seats.

“Woman over there came in with her son and wanted to speak to the detective in charge. Her name is Candice Montgomery, and he is Connor,” Lynley nodded his thanks and walked over to them.

“Mrs Montgomery? I’m Inspector Lynley, I’m running this investigation. I believe you wished to speak with me?” she got to her feet “This is my Sergeant, Barbara Havers,” she smiled shyly at them both.

“I’m sorry to be a bother and it may be nothing, but I was in Soho the other day when the girls in my cafe were chatting about Lynx’s murder,” Candice explained.

“Your cafe?” Havers asked, curious as to where this was leading.

“Yes, I own the Blue Diamond Cafe, the ladies often come in for breakfast and they were talking about you looking for surveillance video of the man who may have killed Lynx?” Lynley felt the first stirrings of hope that they might finally have a lead.

“Let’s talk in private, this way,” Lynley led them into one of the interviews rooms, closing the door behind them. 

“Connor was given a new camcorder for his birthday and I just found out he has been recording the street outside, we live above the cafe.” Candice explained, “Connor show the detectives what you have,” his mother gave him a slight nudge and the young boy pulled the camcorder out of his bag and turned it on. 

“Press the play button, it’s at the right place,” he told them, his tone indicating he was none too happy about being dragged into the Metropolitan Police headquarters.

Lynley hit the red button and Havers leaned close, both of them staring the small screen. The quality was clear enough to see the Ferrari pull up, the driver and passenger share a kiss, Lynx got out and walk into his building. While it was helpful to their case it was not ground-breaking. They already knew they were looking for a yellow Ferrari. 

“Keep watching,” Connor told them “I was supposed to be in bed, but the rest is about ten minutes later.” Following the young boy’s instructions, Lynley and Havers kept their eyes on the small screen. 

A big flash car pulled up; the florescent lights reflected in the paintwork and eventually, a man climbed out. Lynley and Havers glanced at each other and back at the screen. There was no mistaking Mobasseri Kazemi who was standing in the glare of the lights from the video shop across from where Lynx had been murdered.

While stopping there he pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket, leather Lynley assumed as Lafferty had found small pieces in Lynx’s mouth and patted his pockets. Not looking, either way, he strode straight into the doorway to Lynx’s building. Not much happened for about an hour, Connor fast-forwarded the tape for them, until Mobasseri walked back out of the building. He smoothed down his hair and tugged his gloves off, dropping them in a garbage bin, and crossed the road drawing his keys from his coat. Something else fell at the same time, and he glanced down, staring at the object before kicking it down the drain.

“Connor, we need to borrow your camcorder for a little while,” Lynley told him. He scowled at the two detectives and shrugged his shoulders dismissively but Lynley picked up on his disappointment. “I promise we will get it back to you as soon as we can but this,” Lynley taped the machine “It could help us apprehend a man who murdered a boy who was not too much older than you,” as Lynley was speaking to Connor and his mother, Havers went out to the reception desk and grabbed an evidence requisition form.

“Yeah, I know, I liked Lynx he was my friend,” Connor looked up at Lynley “You gonna catch him?” 

“We are going to do our best and this will be a big help,” Lynley said handing the camcorder to Havers who put it in a bag and gave Candice the completed form, sealing second copy in the bag. “Thank you for bringing it to our attention, we will get it back to you as soon as we can,” Lynley and Havers escorted Candice and Connor to the front entry and shook their hands watching them disappear down the stairs before hurrying up to their floor again.

Heading to the audio room Havers dug out the tape and slide it into the player. The quality was much better on the big screen and there was no doubt that the passenger in the Ferrari was Lynx and it was being driven by Farshid. The time-stamp in the bottom right corner said seven minutes past one on the morning of Sunday, twenty-first of March 2004, which fell within Lafferty’s estimated timeline for Lynx’s death.

They watched the entire tape and was rewarded with Mobasseri’s car arriving earlier than Connor had pointed out to them. It appeared three times in quick succession. It was obvious to them both that Mobasseri was driving around the block. Whether he was searching for a parking space or giving himself time, they were not sure.

“We’re looking for a current model black Mercedes Benz,” freezing the tape Lynley walked over and taped the screen which showed the front of the car, calling out the registration plate numbers for Havers to jot down. “Get a confirmation that Mobasseri owns that car, or his company or damn well anyone connected to him,”

Starting it playing again they watched as Mobasseri parked, the time-stamp now read two thirteen. The lights reflected off the windscreen so even though they could see a man inside, it was not clear who it was until he climbed out. He appeared smooth and focused as he pulled on gloves and patted his pocket, checking for whatever he had stashed there Lynley guessed.

Nothing happened for a little more than an hour until Mobasseri walked back out of the building, the time was now three-thirty. He looked unruffled when Lynley and Havers had no doubt he had just murdered and mutilated a seventeen-year-old boy. Something fell out of his pocket as he dug his keys out. Mobasseri stared at it for a few minutes and kicked whatever he had dropped down the drain and drove away.

“I want whatever he kicked down that drain,” Lynley snapped, furious at the callousness he had witnessed. “He is going to spend a damn long time in prison, and it will be my pleasure to put him there,” at Havers silence he turned to look at her “What is wrong?” he asked, knowing her moods by now.

“Nothing,” she replied, still staring at the now empty space where Mobasseri’s car had been parked while he murdered a young boy.

“Barbara?” Lynley said quietly, she knew that tone and he would not let it go.

“The night Lynx was murdered, it was our engagement weekend,” she reminded him sadly “It just seems so unfair, we were planning our future and he was losing his,” they had sworn to remain professional at work but the pain in her voice did Lynley in and he pulled her in for a hug, dropping a kiss on her hair.

“I know, but the best we can do for Lynx now is find his killer and bring him to justice,” nodding she stepped away, turned off the player and removed the camcorder tape, sealing them all back in the bag with the case and evidence numbers. 

“It will give me great pleasure to arrest that bastard. Come on, let’s go and tighten up the evidence against that creep,” shutting off the lights Lynley followed her back to their desks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have some good news for 2020, I start a new job tomorrow, but I promise this story is not abandoned and I will be working on it for NaNoWriMo so stay tuned for future updates.
> 
> I also wanted to send out huge hugs to everyone who has supported this crazy little story of mine and in particular my Bad Arse Babe Dragon Hussies - you all rock!


	25. Barbara has her twenty week scan and it's...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara has her twenty-week scan and finds out what they are having. She surprises Tommy with gender reveal cupcakes and Tommy drops a bombshell of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50667519376/in/dateposted-public/)

Lynley pleaded their situation to Hillier, who had signed off on the paperwork to allow them to excavate the drain on the chance the knife was still there. Lynley was well aware it was a long shot, but right now it was all they had. This case was too damn coincidental for his liking. They had extensive background information on both Farshid and Mobasseri Kazemi and, as Lynley had told his team earlier, they stunk like three-day-old fish.

A group of men from the local council were waiting for them when Lynley pulled up at the edge of the taped off area. It was a beautiful spring morning, but he was too focused on what they may find to pay it much attention. The police photographer parked beside Lynley’s car.

“Blimey gov, that’s a fine motor,” one of the men said, staring back at the Bristol as Tommy went up to them. “Bristol, ain’t it?” Lynley nodded.

“Yes, the 410. Now what have we got here,” he and Havers walked over to where they footpath was taped off. Three other big burly workers stood by to lift the drain cover as the photographer snapped off a dozen or so shots of the area.

“Well, you might be lucky, but it was a while ago, so who knows what we’ll find. Let’s have a go then,” he crocked his head at his workmates and two of the biggest came forward with picks and shovels to clear the mud and dirt from around the edge of the grate while Dave yelled instructions at them. Havers was surprised at how quickly the men managed to prise it loose, considering the amount of muck.

They carefully moved it to the side so Lynley could shine his torch down into the pit. It stunk of who knew what, Lynley did not want to even hazard a guess but if the knife had fallen into the flowing water at the bottom of the hole, they would never find it. 

“There guv,” one of the men, Lynley didn’t catch his name, pointed about halfway down the slick walls. Lynley’s torch beam caught a flash of something shiny. Snapping on the gloves Havers handed him, he carefully leaned into the pit and pulled it from the mud, tossing it on the pavement at Lynley’s feet. It was a wicked-looking knife, about six or seven inches long, curved at the end. A rivet was missing, and it looked well used even under the muck that coated it. 

Lynley didn’t miss Havers shudder at the blade lying on the ground. Both could imagine the damage it could inflict on a person, most likely did if they could link it to Lynx’s murder. 

“That there is a butcher’s knife,” the man who had dug it out of the mud said, “My son has a similar one for his butchering, far too damn expensive to be chucking down the drain,” 

Carefully, Lynley picked it up and studied it. Noting it was surprisingly heavy for its size and had what looked like Japanese characters etched in the blade. A rivet was missing, and it had been well used. 

“With any luck, we can get a print or something from it,” Lynley said, laying it beside the ruler printed on the evidence bag so the photographer could take more photos. “Lafferty will have his work cut out for him on this one,” finally he nodded, indicating he had finished and Lynley slipped the knife into the bag and sealed it. 

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“You want me to do what?” Lafferty demanded, leaning against the counter eating a sandwich. While Lynley could agree with Lafferty’s statement the autopsy room was properly cleaner than the Met cafeteria, there was just something a bit off about eating there. 

“See if you can lift a print from this,” Lynley pointed at the knife sitting on the examination table. “It is the only piece of physical evidence we have linking the man who dropped this as the same one sliced open Lynx Cartwright.”

“You do know I’m not a miracle worker?” he complained as he scrunched up his lunch wrapper and pitched it into the rubbish bin across the room. “We have a department to do that,” Lafferty nodded to the knife. 

“We do. However, our professional teams are weeks behind on their testing and I want this wrapped up before the wedding. You are coming, aren’t you?” Lynley could not remember if Lafferty had accepted or not. Too much else on his mind.

“Yes, I’ll be there, not missing out on seeing you get hitched,” he said with a grin, clapping Lynley on the shoulder “I will see what I can do but bodies are more my thing,” 

“I know, and thanks,” Lynley left him to it. He did not doubt that Lafferty could lift a usable print from the knife. He wanted this all tied up in a nice neat little bow so he could enjoy his wedding and honeymoon without worrying about how the investigation was going.

He went back to his office to find Havers and Nkata heads together discussing the case. Leaving them to it and knowing them well enough by that they would come to him when they found a lead, he made a detour to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

“You know you’re supposed to drink that, not just keep stirring it?” Havers amused comment dragged Lynley from his thoughts as he looked down at his mug and over to her where she was leaning against the door. “We have something,”

Picking up his tea, Lynley hurried after her, feeling a buzz of excitement at the thought of a possible breakthrough. Nkata was still madly typing into the computer and swearing under his breath. 

“What have you got for us?” Lynley asked, leaning over Nkata’s shoulder. 

“Purchase order for the knife in question, and look at the purchaser,” Nkata pointed to the screen. It was Kazemi’s family company name, and it had been bought a few months ago, along with two others of the same type it was a wicked-looking blade. 

“Can we be sure it is the same one?” Lynley asked to Nkata’s nod.

“Yes, each piece is individually numbered. At that price I’m not surprised,” he tapped on the screen and Lynley gasped at the cost of it, over three figures. 

“I would not be happy losing something worth that amount of money,” Havers said leaning over Nkata’s other shoulder “However it is registered to the small goods company. Now I cannot see them letting just anyone walk out of the premises with a four hundred pound knife.” 

“I would imagine each one has to be accounted for at the end of the workday.” They nodded at Lynley’s suggestion “Great work, let’s see what else we can link to that knife too. I would lay bets on the fact it is our murder weapon, but we cannot have any room for him to wriggle out of the charges.” Both wanted this settled before Lynley and Havers left for their wedding and honeymoon. 

Slowly they were building a case against the Kazemi family, but more and more Lynley’s suspicions were being redirected from the son to the father. Oh, he did not doubt that Farshid was involved somehow, but Lynley was sure Mobasseri had carried out the actual murder. 

He had a coldness in his demeanour, an arrogance Lynley found particularly off-putting. His dismissive attitude towards Havers had made Lynley’s blood boil. His father had drummed into both his and Peter’s head that, even though they had a privileged upbringing, they were no better than anyone else and to show respect to everyone, women in particular. Mobasseri’s dismissal had placed him firmly on Lynley’s radar, not somewhere a murder suspect wanted to be. 

Just before lunch, there was a knock on his door and at Lynley’s barked “Enter”, Havers nudged it open with her hip. Walking across the office, she put a mug of tea on his desk, dropped a paper bag beside it, and took a seat on the other side.

“Any luck from Lafferty?” she asked, biting into her sandwich to Lynley’s head shake. 

“No, and he has threatened if I ask for another update he is going to use the knife on me, somewhere... tender,” Havers burst out laughing, luckily not while she was eating.

“That sounds like Stuart. He’s not bringing a guest to the wedding. His latest girlfriend got fed up with his hours,” Lynley nodded in understanding “But I’m off soon,”

“Off? Off where?” he asked, frowning.

“I have a scan this afternoon, remember? Deborah is coming with me and then we are going to find your wedding ring so no, you cannot come with us,” she forestalled his next question to his pout and her laugh “You look about two when you do that,” brushing crumbs off from the top of Tommy’s desk and into her mug, Barbara walked around the other side and dropped a kiss on his head, “I’ll see you at home tonight,”

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“You are more excited about this than I am,” Barbara said to Deborah as she bounced up and down in anticipation as they sat in the doctor’s waiting room.

“Well we are about to find out if I have nieces or nephews on the way, course I’m excited and then we will know what colour to decorate the nursery,” 

“The nursery?” Barbara asked stunned, she had not thought that far ahead. They were focusing everything on their wedding day.

“Oh yes, although a half and half room if it’s a boy and a girl would look strange, so maybe a nice sunny yellow?” Deborah’s enthusiasm was infections.

“Honestly Deborah, I have not even though past the wedding right now. It has all happened so fast.” She stroked her bump, a slight smile dancing across her face.

“Well that is not far off, did you bring the jewellers card with you?” Barbara nodded and dug it out of her bag, handing it to Deborah. “I’ve heard of this place, they do gorgeous work,”

“Ms Havers?” a young nurse called out, capturing Barbara’s attention “Are you ready?” both women rose to their feet, Barbara could not help envying Deborah her slim figure right now. 

“As I will ever be, I suppose,” they followed her towards a back room where Barbara climbed up on the bed and got comfortable. 

“Let’s see how your bumps are doing,” the nurse consulted her notes “It’s your twenty-week scan. We may be able to tell what they are today, but it is not an exact science, totally depends on how they are laying,” Barbara gasped at the cold gel to both Deborah and the nurse’s chuckle.

It didn’t take her long to find the babies. They were much harder to miss, and Barbara could make out arms and legs now. One looked like it was sucking its thumb.

“Let’s see if they are going to be secretive or not,” pushing down on Barbara’s belly, the nurse ran the ultrasound head lower. “You have one little boy on the way,” she pointed to “Blob A” as they had named it. “That is not his umbilical cord,” she chuckled, Barbara reached out and squeezed Deborah’s hand, unable to tear her gaze from the screen.

“The other one,” she managed to ask, a slight tremor in her voice, as the nurse repeated the procedure slightly lower down to her chuckle.

“You have double trouble on the way Barbara, they are both boys,” she pointed to where he was happily showing off proof he was another boy.

“Oh, bloody hell,” Barbara blurted out, staring at the images, her gaze flicking from one baby to the other. “Two boys, I’m being overrun by males,” both the nurse and Deborah chuckled at her slightly terrified tone.

“Everything is progressing beautifully, Barbara, but I want to increase the frequency of your scans as you get closer to your due date.” The assistant said, “It is nothing to worry about, it’s typical with twins.” She cleaned off Barbara’s stomach and printed her off a couple of copies of the scans so she could show Tommy. 

“I’ll send these through to your doctor, make an appointment to see her next week and good luck,” she grinned at both women “You’ll need it, I have three sons, a husband and my Dad living with me,” she laughed at Barbara’s gasp of horror and the ladies took their leave.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“You are quiet?” Deborah commented as they pulled up in front of the same jewellery shop Tommy had bought Barbara’s engagement ring from. She had brought the box, so they knew which one they were looking for, she’d left the band at home.

“Sorry, I was just thinking. All this, the wedding, twin sons on the way, living with Tommy in his townhouse. Only a few short months ago, my home was a tiny two bedder in Chalk Farm. It takes some adjustment at times,” Deborah leaned over and grabbed Barbara’s hand in hers. 

“I know it must seem daunting, but you’ve got people around you now, people who love you. You are not doing this on your own,” unexpectedly Deborah pulled Barbara into a hug.

“Thank you,” Barbara replied tearily “I’ve never had a lot of friends, I was too... prickly I suppose, but I treasure our friendship Deborah. Come on, let’s go and spend more of Tommy’s money,” wiping her damp cheeks, Barbara climbed out of the car and waited for Deborah. 

Barbara knew she had put up walls around herself as a young girl, her family’s whole focus had been on her brother’s illness and subsequent death. Nothing she had ever done gained her parent’s approval. When Barbara had advised her father, she had wanted to join the Police force, he had laughed at her, told her not to waste her time. She had joined up despite him, and in a roundabout way, that moment of teenage rebellion had brought her to where she was today.

Walking through the door, Barbara stopped and stared. The shop, although small, was beautiful. The store's colours of navy and silver were repeated throughout the store and downlights highlighted the cases of jewellery. 

“Hello, may I help you?” a young girl questioned as she walked out from the back. “I’m Monique.”

“Yes, I am looking for a wedding band for my fiancé. I’ve rather left it to the last minute,” Barbara smiled at Monique, who grinned in return.

“When is the wedding?” she enquired, walking around the counters to show the ladies where the men’s rings were displayed. Two tall stools stood on the other side of the counter. Barbara was more than happy to take a load off her feet. 

“The first of May,” Barbara put her palm on the top for balance as she climbed onto the stool to Monique’s gasp. “What?” Barbara questioned, startled by Monique’s reaction.

“That’s my ring, I mean I sold that, a few months ago. Oh, I’m babbling, I am sorry,”

“Don’t be, you made this?” Barbara held up her hand to Monique’s nod “Well you do beautiful work; I am looking forward to wearing it forever. Now I need a band for Tommy,” 

Monique quickly unlocked a display case and lifted out a tray of men’s wedding rings. Fastidiously polishing a fingerprint which marred the surface of one of the rings. 

“Are you considering platinum? Or maybe yellow or white gold?” Monique plucked a few choices from the tray and laid them on a black velvet cloth. 

“I did not think this out, did I?” Barbara said with a chuckle. “What is my ring made of?”

“Yours is platinum,” Monique advised, picking four or five rings and placing them in front of Barbara and Deborah. While they were nice enough, they just seemed a little plain compared to the gorgeous emerald Barbara was wearing. 

“What about a two-tone one?” Monique asked, replacing those and pulling out some others. They were both super shiny and matte. One in particular had caught Barbara’s eye. It had a thick band in matte gold with narrow bands of platinum on each side.

“What do you think?” Barbara handed it to Deborah for her opinion. She studied the band for a few minutes, turning it over in her hand.

“I like it, it is very Tommy,” she passed it back and with a decisive nod, Barbara gave it to Monique.

“I’ll have that for Tommy, now I also need two gifts for our nieces. I was thinking of something silver?” Monique tided the tray of rings and locked them in the glass the cabinet.

“How old are the girls?” she asked as she walked around to the other side of the store, Barbara and Deborah following her.

“Jacqueline is sixteen and Eleanor is eleven. They are Tommy’s sister’s daughters, and we could not have ever managed to organise this wedding without their help. I want to buy them something to say thank you.”

Monique was no fool. She knew exactly how much this woman’s fiancé had dropped on her engagement and wedding rings, and he had not even hesitated over the eye-watering cost. The ring Barbara had chosen was in the four-figure price bracket. However, Monique wanted to make sure that the gifts for her nieces would be something young girls would wear, so she was not just looking for the most expensive pieces but jewellery to be worn and enjoyed.

“These are our pieces designed for younger wearers.” She pulled out two large trays, one full of earrings of various styles and the other necklaces, bracelets and bangles. Both in silver and gold, some with charms and some plain.

“Your store is like an Aladdin’s cave,” Barbara said, laughing at the beautiful jewellery spread out in front of her. “What do you think Deborah, you know the girls?” both ladies started narrowing down their choices until they were left with three necklaces, two bracelets and four bangles.

“I would prefer to get them something similar,” Barbara picked up one of the bangles, which had a small star charm. “I like this, but it may be too big for Eleanor?”

“We can resize any of our jewellery. They are all solid silver. It would only take a few days,” Monique told them. She held the bangle up against the other, and it was noticeably smaller. “Naturally, if it does not fit, we have a full exchange or refund policy,” 

“This is nice,” Deborah handed over a beautiful, polished bangle. The simpleness of it was its selling point “For Jacqueline? She seems to like classic pieces,”

Monique busied herself putting the jewellery back under the glass, making sure they were displayed properly on the display boards while the ladies talked. 

“We will have these two as well as the ring,” Barbara gave Monique the pieces to complete the sale and put them in a bag. “Use this please,” she handed over her credit card. She was not using Tommy’s money to buy his wedding ring. 

Monique passed Barbara a beautiful dark blue bag tied closed with a silver ribbon. The store’s logo embossed on either side and her card.

“We stock a lovely range of baby christening gifts,” Monique told them to Barbara’s laugh. She was a born saleswoman and given a few more years’ experience Barbara had no doubt she could have sold them the whole store if she had a mind to.

Barbara and Deborah walked a couple of blocks to their favourite Italian restaurant for lunch. Chatting over food and wine, sparkling water for Barbara. 

“Well, we now know what colour we need for the nursery,” Barbara said as she twirled pasta around her fork. “Twin boys, oh bloody hell,” she chuckled.

“It is exhausting, and sleep becomes a thing of the past, but it is worth it, and you’ll have plenty of help.” Deborah forked up lasagne. “Don’t be afraid to reach out,”

“I will, I promise you that, I’m going to need it. I never thought I’d have one child, definitely not two of them at once.” Barbara pushed her finished plate away and sipped her water. 

Finishing their lunch, they wandered back to the car chatting about the upcoming wedding when Barbara pulled Deborah to a stop outside a bakery.

“I have a scathingly brilliant idea,” she said, quoting an old television program her parents had watched when Barbara was a child. 

“Do tell?” Deborah’s answering grin was enough for Barbara to drag her into the bakery. They were immediately assaulted by the most amazing smells. 

“How may I help you ladies?” a young boy came out from the counter “I’m Freddie,”

“Hello Freddie, can I have a dozen of those blue cupcakes please and could you package them separately for us?” he nodded and hurried off to do as she asked.

“Gender reveals cupcakes for Tommy,” Barbara explained to Deborah’s grin. “I thought I’d surprise him when he gets home from work.” 

“A dozen though?” Deborah queried as Freddie put the two boxes into bags and rang up the purchase.

“Because six are for you,” Barbara handed over one of the bags, pulling Deborah into a hug, “Now let’s go home so I can drop a bombshell in Tommy’s lap.”

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Barbara pulled up into the mews garage and turned off her car. Tommy was not home yet, so she sat for a few moments, thinking back over the day. She was still getting her head around that they would have two little boys in a few months. Rubbing her hand over her growing bump, Barbara could not stop her grin spreading over her face.

“I think you’re going to take your daddy and me on one hell of a ride,” she told the babies, laughing at herself for talking to her belly. She climbed out of the car, grabbing her shopping bags and the cupcakes and carefully shut the door.

“Denton, I’m home,” she called out as she walked into the kitchen.

“Hello Ms Barbara,” he said as he stirred something on the stove “What have you got there?” he wiped his hands on a tea towel and nodded towards the bags Barbara was carrying. 

“I’ve been shopping,” she proudly announced, holding them up, as Denton switched the kettle on.

“So, I can see,” he replied laughing “Are you going to show me?”

“Of course,” she grinned, “come on,” Denton followed Barbara into the media room. “Dinner can wait for a while. I want your opinion on something,”

Tugging on the beautiful silver ribbon, Barbara untied the bag and pulled out one of the boxes. Opening it, she smiled and turned it towards Denton.

“We bought Jacqueline and Eleanor silver bangles for helping us with the wedding,” she handed the box across “that is Jacqueline’s,”

“I do not doubt that Ms Jacqueline will love it,” he assured Barbara, handing the gift back.

“This is Eleanor’s, we liked the little star,” Denton smiled, it was so perfect for young Eleanor. 

“And this,” Barbara pulled the smallest box from the bag, “this one is Tommy’s,” feeling nervous Barbara handed it to Denton who flicked it open and gasped.

“Oh, Ms Barbara, it is beautiful. Master Tommy will love it, I have no doubt,” Denton studied the ring for a few moments. Hoping it would stay on Tommy’s finger for life.

“I hope so, I didn’t want to get him just a plain gold one,” Barbara took it back and stared at it for a minute or two, before snapping it shut and putting it in the bag with the bangles. “I also have one more surprise,” pulling the large plastic bag towards them, Barbara carefully lifted the box of cakes out, not wanting to ruin them.

“I had my scan today and found out what we are having,” she lifted the lid to reveal the six cupcakes, each decorated with little blue baby feet.

“Boys!” Denton gasped, staring up at Barbara in shock to her delighted grin.

“Yes, both of them. Life, as we knew it, is about to end,” she said laughing, rather enjoying the shocked look on her friend’s face. 

“You’re going to surprise Master Tommy with blue cupcakes, I assume?” he asked to Barbara’s grin of acknowledgement. “I will disappear once dinner is served, give you some time together,” Denton told her, heading back to the kitchen to stir the pot on the stove.

“Thank you, Charlie, I’m going to go and hide Tommy’s ring somewhere,” Barbara got to her feet and picked up the jewellers bag.

“Do you want to leave it with me? I can hide it in my room. Master Tommy never enters without my permission,” Charlie offered.

“Thanks, Charlie,” he wiped his hands on a dishcloth and indicated her to follow him.

Barbara had never been into Charlie’s private room before. She followed him to the other end of the kitchen and through a door she had not even noticed before. It led to a paved courtyard with a few potted plants and a wrought-iron table and chairs. Looking up, Barbara realised they were in the small sunken basement area between the house and the street. Charlie pulled a small key out of his pocket and unlocked a second door, painted a dark shiny black. 

“Come in,” Charlie stood to one side and let Barbara into his room. She could not contain her gasp. It was beautiful, decorated in shades of black and grey. Slimline blinds filtered the light from the window. A large bed was set at the far end of the room and near the door, there was a comfortable looking lounge, a television and small antique drinks trolley.

“Oh Charlie, it’s stunning. Not that I expected anything else but,” Barbara could only stop and stare. For a small area, it packed a punch.

“Thank you, Master Tommy gave me free rein to design my room. This used to be storage until we guttered it and made it into one room and added the bathroom.” Charlie nodded to a section of the room that had been walled off. “Safest place to hide anything from a man, is in another man’s underwear drawer,” chuckling Barbra handed over the ring box and Charlie walked to a tall narrow set of drawers and opening the second one he stashed it at the back. “Done!” he said, turning with a grin.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“I thought you were going to wait until later?” Denton teased. The minute Barbara heard the garage doors open; she had made a beeline for the cupcakes to her shrug.

“I’ve never been able to keep a secret,” she admitted carefully, lifting two out of the box and hiding them behind her back just as Tommy walked in the kitchen door. 

He looked exhausted, and she was a little sorry she had not waited, but there was no backing out now. Tommy gave her a tired smile when he saw her standing just near the table. 

“I have some news for you,” Barbara admitted, grinning mischievously. 

“Oh, do you?” Tommy asked as he tugged his tie off and shrugged out of his jacket. 

“Yes, I had my scan today, and I found out what we’re having,” Tommy nodded “Pick a hand,” Barbara ordered.

“Pick a hand?” Tommy repeated, not sure he had heard her correctly.

“Yes, come on, you had to have played this as a kid. Pick a hand and get a surprise,” Tommy smiled, loving her teasing.

“Alright then, I’ll have the right hand,” he said, the day’s tiredness leaving him in anticipation. 

Very carefully, not wanting to either drop the cupcake or smudge the icing, Barbara presented Tommy with the cake. His gaze dropped to it, the significance of the blue feet sinking in immediately.

“We’re having a boy!” he gasped, shocked. He knew it was either a boy or a girl, but having it confirmed made it all the more real. 

“Well, one of them is,” Barbara replied, reminding Tommy she still had her left hand behind her back. 

“And the other one?” he asked excitedly as Barbara revealed the second blue cake. Tommy just stared; he could hardly believe it.

“Two boys,” shock clear in his voice, “We’re having two boys,” Barbara nodded, glad she’d surprised him as he stared down at the two blue cupcakes and up at her. “Oh, hell, we’re going to be in for a bumpy ride,”

“My thoughts exactly,” she replied, grinning, loving the surprise she had just dropped on her fiancé. “At least now we only have to decide on two boys' names,”

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

For a change that night, their discussions had not been about the wedding but decorating the nursery. They had all traipsed up to the third and fourth floors to decide which one should be used for the boys. Helen had wanted their baby on the fourth floor, which already had two bedrooms, one for the baby and the other for the nanny. It was obvious that Barbara was determined to be a much more hands-on mother.

“I’d rather them on this floor,” she said as she walked into the large double room on the third floor “That way if we hear them cry they are just upstairs and the nanny only has to come down one floor too,”

“They won’t need a room each for a few years at the least,” Denton said helpfully “I loved sharing a room with my brothers,” 

“This floor only has a bath, but babies don’t need a shower and with two rooms upstairs we can have one for the nanny and the other a guest room,” Barbara added.

“You don’t need to convince me,” Tommy said with a laugh, holding his hands up in surrender. “We can work on converting this room into their nursery when we get back from the wedding.” The room was as wide as the master suite one level down but not as deep still there was plenty of room for two cribs and chairs, a changing table and drawers and whatever else two boys would need. Tommy was very thankful for his sizable bank balance. He expected this was going to be an expensive endeavour, but so very worth it. 

“I’m going to turn in gents,” Barbara told Tommy and Denton as they headed downstairs, “I cannot face those stairs again tonight,” she laughed and waved them off heading into the master suite for a shower and to curl up with the latest best-seller.

A few hours later Tommy headed up to bed and had to smile at the sight of Barbara fast asleep with her book balanced on her belly and the bedside light still on. Carefully relieving Barbara of her book, he put the bookmark in the page and put it aside. 

“Hey,” she said sleepily as Tommy crawled into bed.

“Hey yourself, how are you feeling?” Tommy asked as he turned to face Barbara. She looked tired and fed up.

“Honestly?” he nodded “I’m over this already. I feel fat and bloated. My feet hurt and my shoes don’t fit, and I’ve still got months to go,”

“You know you can give up work any time you want to, relax and sleep in.” Barbara didn’t even argue, just nodded.

“I know and honestly I will seriously think about it but now I have to pee again,” she climbed out of bed, padding over to the bathroom complaining about the size of her bladder all the way. Tommy could not hold back his grin. That was so very Barbara. 

Climbing back into bed, Tommy pulled her close, letting her get comfortable. He leaned down and stroked her belly.

“You don’t mind?” she asked hesitantly to Tommy’s frown.

“Mind what?” he questioned, puzzled.

“That it’s two boys, I mean...” she was cut off as Tommy put his finger over her lips, silencing her words.

“Barbara, boys or girls or one of each, it makes no difference to me. I already love them both,” taking a deep breath Tommy continued, “same as I love their mother,” he leaned down and kissed her. “I’ve loved you for years. This just completes the package. Come on let’s get some sleep,”

Too stunned at Tommy’s announcement that he loved her; Barbara did not bother arguing. She needed to get her own thoughts in order, but it wasn’t long before they had both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to everyone for how long this chapter took, my new job is kicking my butt, I'm now doing 12 hour days but I promise you I will not give up on this little story of mine so hang in there, things are about to get interesting.


	26. Dorothy hosts a pre-wedding dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Winston finally arrest Mobasseri Kazemi for Lynx's murder, Dorothy hosts a pre-wedding dinner and Barbara surprises Tommy with her wedding gift.
> 
> I'm SO sorry this chapter took so long, but I had a really difficult time with the beginning and have re-written it a dozen or so times. I hope it still does justice to Lynx's memory.
> 
> Now onto the fun part, the wedding is the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/191233482@N05/50819589616/in/dateposted-public/)   
> 

“Answer me!” Lynley slammed his hand down on the table, making the water glasses jump, his temper normally restrained, finally erupted. He and Nkata had been interrogating Mobasseri Kazemi for the last four hours and had subsequently charged him with Lynx Cartwright’s murder. The " _why_ " was not necessary for the case, but Lynley wanted to know how a man could so callously beat up and slice open a teenage boy.

“He was of no value to society,” Kazemi snapped back, also clearly at the end of his patience. “I will not tolerate such filth corrupting my heir, to turn him against me and his destiny. I will not permit such shame to touch my family,”

“He was a seventeen-year-old child,” Lynley replied, stunned by the hatred in Kazemi’s voice.

“He was a filthy sodomite who sought to besmirch my family’s good name and deviate my son from the path I have set out for him since his birth,” suddenly the reason for the sickening mutilation fell into place for Lynley and Nkata.

“He was your son’s lover,” Lynley pounded the point home, making the man accept it. “Yet you callously sliced him open like an animal in your slaughterhouse,” 

“There was no _love_ between them,” Mobasseri replied scornfully, “Farshid had a wife waiting for him, his destiny is to marry and produce many sons,” he slammed his fist down on the table “He will do as he is told, he will honour his family,” 

“Honour his family?” Lynley did not even bother hiding his scorn at that comment “How much respect do you think your family is going to have when it hits the papers I’ve arrested you for the murder of a young boy?” 

“Of a filthy piece of garbage who sold himself to whoever paid him the most. Do you expect anyone to care?” Mobasseri asked contemptuously.

“He was just a boy,” Lynley slammed both hands against the beaten wooden tabletop, fury written across his face, “Lynx had friends, a family and his future ahead of him and you sliced him open like an animal. With the case we have against you, you will be spending the rest of your miserable life behind bars,” 

“You ain’t going to see the outside of a prison cell for a very long time,” Nkata told Kazemi as he followed Lynley out of the interrogation room.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Tommy pulled up into the garage behind his townhouse sometime around one in the morning. He turned the car off, dropped his head back against the headrest and shut his eyes. He was bone-weary. The last month had been the most exhausting he could remember. He knew he owed his team a huge debt as they had worked tirelessly to bring Kazemi to justice before he and Barbara left for their wedding and honeymoon.

A tired smile crossed his features as Tommy thought back to Winston, James and Edwards who had cornered him in his office. All Tommy had wanted to do was sign off on the last of the paperwork to have Kazemi charged, held in custody, and log out of his computer for nearly four blessed weeks.

“We know you said no gifts but well... here,” Winston self-consciously thrust him an envelope at him. _Tommy and Barbara_ across the front in Winston’s precise handwriting. “Go on, open it,” Winston demanded. 

Turning it over, Tommy opened the flap and pulled out a large wedding card. Opening it, a gift voucher fell out and picking it up Tommy was astonished to see it was for a weekend suite stay at Claridge's. 

“We passed the hat around,” James said as Tommy quickly scanned it. It was full of good wishes from their colleagues. Even Hillier had signed it.

“It’s valid for eighteen months. Well, we figured once Barbara has had the babies you could escape for some time away?” Winston added. 

“Thank you, this is much appreciated,” Tommy was surprised to find his voice rough with emotion. “For our first anniversary maybe?” he said, giving his colleagues a sly smile to their laughter. 

“Go on, go home to Barbara we can finish up this last part,” Tommy shook the men’s hands, logged off and drove off.

Patting his jacket pocket to make sure the card was there, he climbed out of the Bristol and locked the garage doors behind him, quickly letting himself into the house and climbing the stairs. 

“How did it go?” Barbara’s voice floated through the darkness as Tommy slipped into their room.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. We’ve just charged Kazemi, and he’s spending his first night at Her Majesty’s pleasure before he faces court, who knows when that will be,” Tommy replied as he stripped out of his clothes and tossed them across the bench at the bottom of the bed, pulling on pyjamas.

“He confessed?” Barbara questioned sleepily. She had wanted to be there when the hammer came down, but in the end, she did not want to listen to his homophobic rants against a young boy so had come home to finish packing for their honeymoon. Both Winston and Tommy had said they understood, and both wished they could leave too, but there was something very satisfying about putting such a callous murderer behind bars. 

“No, but the evidence against him was overwhelming,” Tommy replied as he climbed into bed, sinking into the pillows with a sigh.

“Get some rest,” Barbara leaned over and kissed his cheek to Tommy’s nod as sleep claimed him.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

“Come in,” Tommy called out sleepily late the next day. Glancing at the clock, he was stunned to see it had just gone ten. The door silently opened, and Denton walked in carrying a breakfast tray. 

“Good morning,” he said cheerily at Tommy’s slight scowl as he sat up in bed as Denton put the tray across his lap. “How did you sleep?” he went to the windows and pulled back the curtains, bright sunlight flooded the room. 

“Like the dead,” Tommy mumbled around a slice of toast “I didn’t mean to sleep so late,” Denton just shrugged.

“Ms Barbara told me what time you got in last night,” Denton picked up Tommy’s clothes, hung up his jacket, tossed the shirt into the laundry hamper and slung the trousers over his arm. 

“Where is Barbara?” Tommy asked, sipping his tea. It was exceedingly rare he had breakfast in bed these days.

“Downstairs with Ms Deborah,” Denton replied, “She brought Ms Barbara’s wedding dress over, so we did not forget it,” Denton chuckled at the thought. “I have pressed your morning suit, and it is in your garment bag.”

“Charlie,” Denton stopped shocked, it was not often Tommy called him by his Christian name “I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done, with the wedding preparation and helping Barbara feel at home. It means a great deal to me,” 

“It has been my pleasure, Sir. Ms Barbara is very easy to get along with and soaks up information like a sponge,” he smiled thinking of how surprised Tommy would be with Barbara’s newfound waltzing skills. They had been sneaking in lessons whenever Tommy was out of the townhouse and she had picked it up beautifully and Denton had assured her that she would not make a fool of herself during her first dance as a married woman.

“Regardless, it means a lot to me. As a thank you, and in recompense of the extra duties you’ve taken on, I’ve increased your wages,” Tommy hid his grin behind his teacup.

“Sir, I...” Denton was speechless. He knew he was already extremely well paid, so a raise was unexpected. “Thank you,” he finally managed. 

“Let Barbara and Deborah know I’ll be down shortly,” Denton took the tray “I’m going for a shower,” Tommy threw back the covers as Denton quietly shut the door behind him. He could not help his chuckle at the look on his valet’s face.

Half an hour later Tommy walked into the kitchen to find Denton making a pot of tea while Deborah and Barbara double-checking everything on the list. Tommy had to admit getting married in London would have been far less of a logistic nightmare, but so long as they had their wedding clothes they could just buy whatever else they needed. 

“Having fun ladies?” Tommy questioned, not able to keep the humour out of his voice. The media room was in total disarray. By the look of it, they had taken everything out of Denton’s carefully packed bags to double-check they had not forgotten anything. Casting a glance at Denton, Tommy could see how aggravated he was by the mess.

“How about lunch before we set off?” Tommy asked, kissing both ladies on the cheek. “Rinaldo’s?” he questioned, knowing it was their favourite Italian restaurant and Barbara had been craving their crab linguine.

“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Deborah exclaimed happily climbing to her feet “Let me freshen up,” she dashed to the downstairs bathroom and winked at Denton as she passed, he gave her a slight smirk and made himself scarce. 

The mess in the media room had been a pre-organised ploy between himself and Deborah to get Barbara and Tommy out of the house so he could hide the extra suitcases he had packed for them into his car. The whole surprise would be ruined if they found out what was going on.

“Charlie, I am sorry,” Barbara was chewing on her lower lip as she looked at the mess she and Deborah had made “I’m just...” Denton took her hands in his and squeezed them.

“Do not worry about it, go and enjoy your lunch. I’ll take care of this,” he gave her a reassuring smile, all the while wanting her to hurry up. Their two large suitcases were hidden in his room however, he now needed to repack the smaller cases, which were currently strewn all over the media room. 

“Thank you, Denton,” Tommy said as he ushered both women out of the kitchen and through to the garage, Deborah laughing about having to crawl into the back seat of the Bristol.

As soon as Denton heard the doors close, he hurried to his apartment and wheeled out the two large suitcases he had been secretly packing for the last week or so and stashed them in the boot of his car. Throwing a blanket over them, he went inside to re-pack the mess in the media room, whistling happily as he worked. 

While Helen had lived here, the house at Eaton Terrace appeared to hold its breath, as if waiting for an explosion to happen, and they happened often, but with Barbara, it was happier. Denton knew that sounded stupid, even to himself, but he could not explain it any other way. The doors to the patio were open, filling the lower level with warm spring air and the smell of flowers as he worked.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

A little after one they were on the road. Tommy left Denton to follow behind them and bring their wedding garments. 

“Do not be late Denton, we need those outfits,” Tommy joked as he reversed out of the garage into the mews.

“I’ll be on the way as soon as I lock up and set the alarms. Mrs Forsyth is going to keep an eye on the house for us.” Denton was still a little apprehensive about leaving it unattended, even if it was only for three days.

“Denton, it will be fine, stop worrying. Now go and get changed into something more comfortable to travel in and _get a move on_ ,” Tommy told the younger man and with a wave, they drove off.

It was a glorious day for a drive, the sun was out with a warm breeze and they had a great run, even with a few stops along the way as the boys were dancing on Barbara’s bladder. He’d handed her the keys at their last stop as he had ordered them a drink while she had been in the bathroom. Grinning her annoyed scowl, he pushed a lime and soda towards her. 

“We’ve made good time, we can rest for a bit,” Tommy said, putting his feet up on a large rock that edged the garden, crossing his ankles and sipping his beer.

“You comfortable there?” Barbara questioned, laughing at Tommy’s relaxed posture.

“Very,” he sipped the cold liquid “We have perfect weather for the wedding,” Tommy saluted the sky, miles of blue. 

“I cannot believe the girls pulled it off in a month. Do you think they will like the bangles we bought them?” Barbara asked worriedly. 

“They will treasure them; I do not doubt it. Come on, let’s get going,” Barbara slid behind the wheel this time. She had always loved driving the Bristol. It was not that hard to understand Tommy’s love of the beautiful classic car. While she knew they would have to look at something to fit the boys in, she would never ask him to give it up.

A little before six they pulled up at Howenstow. However, they had strict instructions from Jacqueline and Eleanor not to use the back entrance, so Tommy led them around to the side of the house and in the kitchen door to Dorothy’s delight. 

“You made it,” she hugged them both “You’re the first to arrive. Barbara, you are in your room, Tommy, you are in the front guest room on your niece's orders,” Dorothy didn’t even try to hide her amusement at the girls ordering their Uncle around.

“Sorry, Dorothy, I have to...” Barbara gave her an apologetic grimace and dashed to the downstairs bathroom, thankfully it was just off the kitchen.

“Bladder the size of a pea,” Tommy explained to Dorothy’s knowing smile.

“Yes, I remember that all too well, Judith was the worst,” Dorothy pulled teacups out of the cupboard and milk from the fridge as Barbara rejoined them.

“Sorry Dorothy,” Barbara kissed the older woman on the cheek “They are dancing on my bladder right now,” 

“Don’t apologise, Barbara, I have not forgotten what it’s like,” Dorothy poured them all tea “So are you all ready for tomorrow?”

“As ready as we will ever be,” Barbara replied, “I cannot believe you, Judith, and the girls pulled it off so quickly,”

“It has been a pleasure, Barbara, and it came together easily. It isn’t as though you wanted a huge social event,” both shook their heads at the very thought.

A hello echoed from the front of the house and Dorothy hurried to the doorway and called out it was open as she disappeared up the hallway. A few minutes later she returned with Peter and his girlfriend Alexandria.

“You made good time,” Peter remarked walking over to greet Barbara, hugging her and kiss on the cheek “Are you being a led foot again are you?” he teased Tommy as the brothers hugged, thumping each other on the back. Barbara was so glad their relationship had improved over the last few years. 

“How are you feeling, Barbara?” Alexandria asked, taking a seat.

“Honestly? Horrible,” Barbara admitted “I feel fat and boated and they like to tap dance on my bladder,” the younger girl laughed “The doctor is happy with how it is all progressing well, through but they are increasing my scans to every two weeks from the next one. It’s standard Dorothy, nothing to worry about,” Barbara and Tommy had agreed to keep the sex of the babies secret until tomorrow when Tommy was going to drop that particular bombshell.

“Now I’ve booked us into a local restaurant for a family dinner before the wedding, and no arguments from you two either,” she pointed at Tommy and Barbara “It is my treat so go and freshen up, we can leave when Judith and the girls get here.”

As if hearing their names, they stepped through the kitchen door, Eleanor rushing over to hug her grandmother, Tommy and Barbara.

“Grand-Mère,” Eleanor grabbed Dorothy’s hand “Come and met my bestest, bestest friend in the whole wide world,” dragging her across the room, Eleanor stopped in front of a dark-skinned young girl, her hair in a mass of braids and an infectious smile “This is my best friend Cynthia. We are in the same class at school and go riding together too,”

“Hello Lady Asherton,” Cynthia put her hand out for Dorothy to shake, which she did. “Thank you for letting me come to your house for the weekend.”

“It is my pleasure Cynthia, but you should thank my son Tommy, he is getting married tomorrow,” Dorothy turned Cynthia slightly and pointed to Tommy sitting across the room. The little girl’s face lit up. 

“You didn’t tell me it was a wedding, Eleanor!” she accused her friend but spoke to Tommy “Congratulations Sir,” 

“Tommy is fine, Cynthia, this is my fiancée Barbara,” she grinned at them both.

“Hello, oh are you having a baby!” the awe in her voice made all the adults chuckle. She was an exact copy of Eleanor; it was easy to see why they were bestest friends. 

“Well, we’re having two of them actually,” Barbara laid her hand over her growing bump to Cynthia’s squeal of excitement. The sound of car doors slamming outside caught Dorothy’s attention, and she walked over and opened the kitchen door to let Deborah and Simon in, each carrying a sleeping child, with Denton following behind them. 

“Come with me, I’ve put you both in the guest room, but there are two overnight cots for the littles,” Dorothy led the way upstairs, easily falling into the role of a gracious hostess. They were back moments later to greet everyone properly with hugs and kisses. Barbara loved the easy affection they shared.

“Tommy,” Dorothy pulled her son to the side, “Should I cancel dinner, do you think? With the babies asleep, it would be a shame to wake them?” Jacqueline overheard her Grand-Mère and laid her hand on Dorothy’s arm.

“Michael and I can look after the little ones for you, it’s been a long drive and I’m not sure Eleanor or Cynthia will stay awake through dinner.” Jacqueline offered. She was tired and did not want to go out again, even for her favourite Uncle.

“Are you positive, Jacqueline?” Dorothy questioned to her granddaughter’s nod.

“Yes, Grand-Mère, I need to paint my nails for tomorrow,” she wiggled her fingers in Dorothy’s direction to the older lady’s smile as she hugged her granddaughter.

“Come now everyone, Jacqueline has volunteered to look after the little ones for us and I’ve booked a pre-wedding celebration at a local restaurant,” Dorothy told the room which generated a flurry of activity. Eleanor and Cynthia were not too happy to be left behind until Michael bribed them with the latest Disney DVD to their excitement.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Dinner had been, as usual, a lively affair with a lot of general teasing. No one was immune. Tommy was delighted to see Barbara joining in. She was giving as good as she got, and he had no doubt she would fit in perfectly with his family. 

They were all relaxing back at Howenstow in the library. The ladies with cups of tea while Tommy, Peter, Simon and Charlie sipped on rare old whiskey in the comfortable chairs near the fireplace. Not that the fire was currently lit, but it was still a lovely room to relax in.

“Have you told her yet?” Peter quietly asked, following Tommy’s line of sight, straight to his laughing fiancée.

“Yes,” Tommy admitted, not even pretending not to know what his brother was getting at “A week ago, after her latest scan.” 

“And?” Peter demanded, nudging Tommy with his elbow.

“And nothing,” Tommy chuckled, “I think I left her a bit shell shocked. I haven’t pressed her, giving her time to come to terms with it,” 

“Well, tomorrow is the big day, nervous?” Simon asked sipping his whiskey “One of these days I’m going to raid your cellar Lynley,” he raised his glass in salute admiring the amber liquid.

“Would you excuse me,” Tommy climbed to his feet and walked over to Barbara, whispering something in her ear to her nod. Simon had just given him the perfect opportunity to spring some surprises on his family and friends. 

“We’ll be back in a minute,” he told the assembled group and helped Barbara to her feet, to a lot of slightly cheeky teasing. Even Dorothy joined in, to Tommy’s chuckle.

Hurrying upstairs, Tommy and Barbara retrieved the gifts they had bought for their friends and family. Tommy just shrugged at Barbara’s quizzical look as he dug another gift from his suitcase. Giving him a narrowed eyed glare, she pulled one from the top drawer of the bedside chest. 

“I thought we were going to do this tomorrow?” Barbara said as they gathered the beautifully wrapped gifts and headed back downstairs.

“I know but I suspect even though it is low key, we will be far too busy and well, you’ll see why,” Tommy didn’t want to tell her that he’d bought Barbara her “something new,” to wear on their wedding day.

“I realise this is all a bit backwards, but that has pretty much been our whole relationship,” Tommy told their gathered friends and family to their laughter. “We wanted to thank you for all the help you’ve given us to get this wedding organised in a month. We appreciate it more than you can imagine, as we could never have done it without you.” 

Selecting a beautifully wrapped gift off the small pile they had stacked on the low coffee table, Tommy walked over to Dorothy and leaned down, kissing her on the cheek.

“Thank you, Mother, for offering us Howenstow for our wedding, we could not have had a more memorable location to begin our married life,” he handed her a large square box, only a couple of inches deep but wrapped in thick teal paper and finished with a sheer silver ribbon tied in a beautiful bow. 

“Tommy, Barbara...I,” Dorothy accepted the box, “Thank you,” carefully she pulled on the bow and undid the ribbon, wrapping it around her fingers to keep and peeled back the tape on the wrapping paper, exposing a dove grey velvet jewellery case. 

Full of curiosity, everyone had also gathered close by. Tommy’s father, Alexander Lynley, was well known for spoiling his wife with jewellery and had obtained some amazing pieces during their marriage. 

“Oh Tommy, Barbara,” Dorothy gasped, shocked at the stunning triple pearl, diamond and sapphire necklace nestled among the thick satin lining. “It is beautiful,” she laid it aside and stood, enveloping her son and future daughter-in-law in hugs. 

“A little birdie told us you were wearing pale blue,” Barbara admitted to Dorothy’s affirmative nod. 

“Deborah, Simon,” Tommy picked up two more gifts and walked over to his best friends “A token of our thanks for your friendship and for helping Barbara look amazing tomorrow,” he handed Deborah a small square box and kissed her cheek, grinning at her squeal of delight. Pulling off the ribbon, she tore off the paper and lifted the lid to reveal a pair of teardrop sapphires suspended from baguette diamonds. 

“Tommy!” she gasped, shocked at the beautiful earrings “They are....” wordlessly she could only stare. “Thank you,” fighting back tears, she hugged both Tommy and Barbara. 

“Don’t worry, it isn’t jewellery,” Tommy handed Simon a large box, wrapped the same as the others. Unlike the ladies, Simon was not concerned about ripping into his gift to reveal a bottle of Bruichladdich Scotch.

“The 1988 vintage,” he read the label slightly awe struck “30-year-old scotch, it’s nearly as old as us,” the two men embraced “I’ll enjoy this, thank you, Tommy and Barbara,”

Picking up another small box, Barbara walked over to where Charlie was sitting and watching. He looked up at her, rather startled as she extended it to him. 

“Thank you for all your help too Charlie, we could not have handed the London end without you and for agreeing to walk me down the aisle, there is no one else I would want to do it,” Charlie stood and nodded, finding himself unable to speak as Barbara gave him the box. Carefully unwrapping it, he tugged off the lid and stared.

“Barbara, Tommy,” he had been expressly forbidden to use “Ms or Sir,” this weekend, as he was visiting as their guest, not as an employee. “I will wear them with pride,” he proudly showed off the blue square Italian glass cufflinks. They were the perfect colour to match his accessories for tomorrow. 

With the members of the wedding party taken care of, Tommy now turned to his attention to his family. Picking up a small box, he walked over to Peter, who looked a little startled, to be honest. 

“Aren’t we supposed to be giving you the wedding gifts?” Peter questioned with a chuckle as Tommy handed it over with a shrug and slight smirk. Ripping into the wrapping, Peter pulled off the lid and stared up at his brother and future sister-in-law.

“I believe you are accessorising with your beautiful girlfriend who is wearing pale pink?” Tommy asked to Peter’s nod in agreement and handed the diamond, onyx and ruby cufflinks to Alexandria to her indrawn gasp of breath. They were stunning, the ruby in the shape of a love heart. 

“Thank you, but it was my pleasure to help with the planning,” Peter said, hugging them both and taking his seat again. Peter knew he had to apologise to Tommy for how he behaved at his brother’s engagement to Helen, but he would do it in private. Now was not the time. They had worked hard on their relationship since her death.

Barbara picked up a long, narrow box from the table at the same time Tommy took up the two shallow square boxes and they walked over to the couch where Judith, Jacqueline and Eleanor were sitting. Eleanor and Cynthia were both in their pyjamas and dressing gowns, being very careful not to smudge their newly painted nails. 

Barbara had always wanted a sister, now she felt like she had two of them in Judith and Deborah. Taking the older woman’s hand in hers, Barbara pressed the box into it to her slight smile. It seemed all the Lynley siblings loved presents, both giving and receiving.

“If it had not been for your help, there is absolutely no way we would be sitting here tonight ready to be married tomorrow, so this is a small token of our thanks,” Barbara was glad she got through her short speech without tears, they were too close to the surface these days.

“And as for you two young ladies, the same goes for you,” Tommy handed each of the girls the square boxes to their squeals of delight. All three ripped into the paper after slipping the ribbons off. 

“Oh, Barbara, it is beautiful,” Judith lifted out a multi-strand necklace of smoky quartz, ranging in colour from inky black to pale grey, so pale they were nearly clear. “I showed you this in a magazine,” Judith accused good-naturedly to Barbara’s nod. 

“Uncle Tommy, Aunt Barbara, oh I love it,” Eleanor threw herself into Tommy’s arms, hugging him tightly before also embracing Barbara, although more carefully “Look mummy I got a bangle with a star. Open yours, Jacqui,” doing as her sister asked, Jacqueline pulled off the lid to reveal her gift.

“Thank you, it’s beautiful. It will match my silver shoes,” she hugged them both and slipped the bangle on, waving her hand so it caught the light. Barbara could not help the relief she felt that their gifts had been so well received, she had been inordinately worried about it.

“I do have one more gift to give out, and as I am not allowed to see my bride before the wedding I had better give it to her now,” tugging Barbara to her feet, Tommy handed her a small, wrapped box. It was only a few inches square, and he could not prevent the slight flutter of nerves as she stared at it. 

“Well go on!” Deborah called out to Barbara’s light chuckle as she pulled on the bow, unravelling the ribbon and peeling back the paper to reveal a royal blue jewellery box. Flicking it open, she gasped in shock. Nestled on the black satin was the most exquisite pair of stud earrings she had ever seen. Large teardrop sapphires were surrounded by square diamonds.

“Your something blue,” Tommy told her quietly to her light laugh.

“Tommy they are, I don’t know what to say, they are so beautiful.” To her horror, Barbara could feel the tears about to start. Her hormones had been out of control lately and being given the most amazing earrings she had ever seen was just too much. Wordlessly, Tommy handed her his handkerchief to her teary smile.

“I have something for you too, it’s not as spectacular as these, but I hope you like it,” removing a long narrow box from her pocket, and giving him a shy smile, Barbara handed it over. 

Tugging off the ribbon and looking down into the box, Tommy felt the grin fall from his face in shock. Nestled on the cream lining was his father’s watch, the same one that his mother had gifted his father on their wedding day. He had worn it every day of his life until he became sick and was worried about it being lost.

“It’s my father’s watch,” Tommy said unnecessarily to Barbara’s nod. Carefully lifting it out, Tommy looked up at Barbara, who was biting her lip in nervousness.

“Yes, Dorothy helped me get it restored and, well, read the back.” Turning it over Tommy saw the old inscription but underneath it was a new engraving with their initials and wedding date. Unexpectedly, Tommy felt his throat close up with emotion. 

Of all the gifts Barbara could have given him, this meant more than anything else could have done. He had always loved his father’s watch. It was not overly fancy, just a square face with black numbers and a black leather band, but Tommy and his siblings had all learned to tell the time on this piece, sitting with their father in his study or outside under the trees. They all received their first watches on their eighth birthday.

“It is perfect,” Tommy finally managed, a slight crack in his voice as he pulled Barbara to him and kissed her in front of everyone.

“Enough of that you two lovebirds,” Dorothy laughingly declared “We all have a very busy day tomorrow, so an early night is in order I think, come on off to bed,” not that ten o’clock was all that early, however, Dorothy was correct they did have a very busy day tomorrow so wishing everyone good night they all disappeared throughout the house to their various rooms. 


End file.
